


we could be heroes

by FaileGaidin



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:16:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 26,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7881808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaileGaidin/pseuds/FaileGaidin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winchesters and their friends discover that they're not alone in the bunker. They find themselves teaming up with the mysterious woman in a  bid to save Olympus - and the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dean’s heart leapt into his throat and tried to choke him when he saw the bunker door nearly ripped off its hinges. He was out of the car before it had even stopped rolling, hand reaching for and pulling out his handgun. His senses told him that Sam was right behind him and they moved forward together. 

They entered the bunker silently. The need to call out to Cas and Charlie was nearly choking Dean, but he had no way of knowing who or what was inside. Nausea rolled through him at the sudden realization that his home - his home, goddammit - had been violated. 

He stopped cold at the sight that greeted him just inside the door, though. The brothers looked down on the main room of the bunker, both letting out long sighs of relief when they saw Cas and Charlie sitting at one of the tables. Both seemed to be a little worse for wear; Cas was currently cleaning a cut on Charlie’s forehead, his movements gentle as she tried not to wince at the sting.

They were surrounded by dead bodies. Bookshelves had been thrown to the ground, and some of the chairs lay broken and scattered across the room. Dean slowly lowered his gun.

“Cas? Charlie?”

Charlie gave them a tight smile as they started down the stairs, and Cas turned to look at them once he had bandaged the cut on her head. 

“Hello, Dean,” he said solemnly.

“Hey.” They reached the bottom of the stairs and came over to their friends. “So it looks like you guys had quite the day. Wanna tell us about it?”

“We were attacked.”

Dean waited for something more; eyes wide, he gestured for Cas to continue. “And?”

Cas looked over at him. “We were saved,” he said very matter of factly. 

Sam and Dean both looked over at Charlie in exasperation and she smirked before taking pity on them. 

“We were cataloging some boxes of books,” she explained. “These guys came busting in from everywhere.” She paused, her expression darkening a bit. “We didn’t stand a chance.”

Sam sat down, his eyes gentle. “So what happened?”

“A woman appeared,” Cas told them. 

“What woman?” Dean asked.

They both shook their heads, but it was Charlie that answered. “Neither of us had ever seen her before. She was HOT.” Dean snorted and she smiled. “Seriously. Think black greek goddess.” She paused. “Guys, she DESTROYED them. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.”

Sam looked around. “So where did she go?”

“No clue. We turned around and she was just gone.”

“She didn’t say anything?”

“Nothing.”

“Because that’s not creepy at all,” Dean muttered. When Sam raised his eyebrows, Dean threw his arms out to the side. “Seriously, explain to me how something like this is NOT going to come back and bite us in the ass!”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe it will. I’m just not sure that there’s anything we can do about it now.” He looked around at the corpses that surrounded them. “We’ve got some serious cleanup to do, though.”

Momentarily abandoning the mystery warrior puzzle, Dean walked over to one of the dead men and crouched down. He ran his eyes up and down the guy’s body a couple of times before frowning and pulling the corpse’s shirt.

“Well that’s weird.”

Sam stood up and walked over to him. “What is it?”

“Generally speaking, people only die once, right?”

“Unless they’re us, yeah.”

“So why does this guy have a gunshot wound to the heart, a slashed throat, and a knife wound to the kidneys?”

Sam frowned. “Our mystery badass must have really wanted to make sure he was dead.” He walked over to another body and knelt beside it, doing a cursory check. “Same thing over here. Multiple mortal wounds.” He looked back over at Charlie and Cas in confusion. “Did they just keep getting up after she killed them?”

Charlie shook her head. “She was pretty darn efficient. When they went down, they stayed down.”

“And she didn’t use any kind of firearm,” Cas added. “She fought with two knives - they were quite impressive, actually. Most of the kills I saw involved her cutting their throats, if that helps at all.”

It didn’t actually clear anything up, and Sam and Dean shared a questioning look. 

“Zombies?” Sam asked.

“No head shots. You have to shoot zombies in the head or actually take the head off to kill them.”

“You’ve been watching way too much Walking Dead.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Zombies have a tendency to rot, too, “ he pointed out. “Even when the dead rise because of spells…slashed throats just don’t do it.” He suddenly pulled his hands away. “Do you think they’re gonna rise again?”

Sam looked nervously around. “Salt and burn?”

Dean nodded vigorously. “Salt and burn.”

It took them a long time to get all of the bodies out of the bunker. Charlie and Cas helped as much as they could, but it was evident that they were exhausted from the day’s events. Dean also noticed that Cas was limping, and Charlie was favoring her left arm. He got the feeling that the fight had been more traumatic for them than they were letting on. Both had hinted more than once that they felt like the weak link of the group, which was the most ridiculous thing that Sam and Dean had ever heard. He kept a close eye on them even as they lugged the last of the bodies to the pyre. 

“So what do we do?” Charlie asked as they watched the bodies burn.

Both Winchesters were quiet for a moment before Sam shrugged. “I guess we can check the lore,” he said finally. “I’ll see if there’s any mention of a woman that just shows up and kills evil things with knives.” He sighed. “Honestly, I’m not sure there’s much we CAN do.”

“When everyone else gets back from their respective hunts, we can sit down and pool information,” Dean added. “Maybe the others know something.”

“Should we be worried?” Charlie asked.

“About the zombies or our mysterious badass?”

“Either? Both?”

Dean looked over at her. “Honestly, Charlie…when was the last time something came up that we DIDN’T have to worry about?”


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost another month before the entire clan was back home in the bunker. As each group came home, Dean put a moratorium on any new hunts. It was a tough call, and it ate at him. Even though they weren’t going out, they all checked the papers and saw the omens. Weird shit was happening all over the place, and they were needed all across the country. They had things to figure out in their own backyard, though, and he and Sam both agreed that that needed to take priority. 

Eventually, they were all sitting around the tables in the war room, each with their own takeout meal. Dean took a moment to look around, once again stunned by the family he and Sam had managed to become a part of. They worried him to no end, and sometimes they annoyed the crap out of him, but he could also admit that he was happier now than he had been at any other point in his life. He had a home. He had his brother. He had Cas. And he had a group of people around him that he loved, and that he was pretty sure loved him in return. Despite the ever-present nagging in the back of his mind that told him that everything would burn to the ground because the universe was a catty bitch, he had to admit - to himself, at least - that he wouldn’t trade this for anything.

He made sure to look at each and every one of them - Sam, Cas, Bobby, Charlie, Jodi, Kevin, and Linda - before he cleared his throat and effectively brought the family meeting to order.

“Okay,” he said, setting his beer down on the table. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why Sam and I asked that nobody take on any new cases for the time being.”

Jodi gave a half shrug. “We just figured something had come up. Something big.”

Sam nodded. “Something definitely came up. And it might be big. The truth is - we’re just not sure.”

They laid out the story about the attack against Charlie and Cas. Everyone sat up straighter as it went on, their faces creased with worry and confusion. 

“So which part are we more worried about?” Kevin asked when they were finished. “The fact that they were attacked, or the fact that they were saved?”

“I don’t believe the woman meant us any harm,” Cas supplied. “She could easily have killed both Charlie and myself, but she didn’t.”

“Dean’s right, though,” Linda said. “Mysterious saviors don’t just show up and then leave without a word. People usually want something in return for their help.”

“As much as I’d like to believe she was just being a good Samaritan, you’re probably right,” Charlie said. “There’s no way she just stumbled upon the attack. Was she following the zombies? Was she watching us? There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

“I think there are even more,” Jodie said. 

Bobby frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I’ve noticed some weird stuff happening around here. Aside from zombies and knife-wielding badasses, there’s been…” She sighed. “God, there’s no way to say this and not sound like a freak. I think someone’s been helping us with cases.”

There were a lot of frowns around the table; they deepened when Charlie spoke up.

“You’re not the only one that’s noticed that.”

“Definitely not,” Sam added.

Dean turned to look at his brother. “Okay. Definite explanation needed here.”

“I didn’t say anything because I thought I was just imagining things. It started about six months after we moved in here, though. Sometimes when I get stuck on a case, I go to bed, hoping that things will be clearer in the morning.”

“And?”

“And…sometimes things WOULD be clearer the next morning - because a book I didn’t even know that we had was out on the table, open to a page that gave me the answers I needed.”

“Or a computer would suddenly have a page opened to an obscure site that detailed someone else experiencing whatever it was we were hunting,” Charlie added.

Bobby looked over at Jodi. “And you’ve seen this too?”

She nodded. “More than a couple of times. It was easy to explain away, though. We all know that exhaustion can play with our minds, and we run ourselves ragged with some of these cases. If you guys have experienced it as well, though…maybe it’s not just my imagination.”

Linda leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. “Is there anything else? Anybody else seeing something weird that they’ve convinced themselves is just their imagination?”

There was about a minute of silence before Dean spoke up.

“My beer keeps going missing.”

Cas rolled his eyes. “That’s because you keep drinking it, Dean.”

Dean gave him a look. “Look, I know how much beer I drink, okay? And I can count the bottles and cans in the recycling. Someone is definitely drinking it. Someone other that the people sitting around this table.” He noticed Sam leaning back in his chair and frowning. “You got something to add?” he asked crossly.

“One of my shirts is missing.”

Dean frowned, but Jodi leaned forward. “That blue one you’ve been looking for for months? You still haven’t found that?”

Sam shook his head. “I know I didn’t bring it on a hunt with me. The last time I wore it, I was here in the bunker. I took it off, realized there was a small tear in one of the sleeves, and threw it in the laundry. I haven’t seen it since.”

Cas’ forehead was furrowed in confusion. “Are you suggesting that we have someone else living in the bunker with us? Someone who is drinking copious amounts of beer and stealing shirts?”

Sam shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s just the one shirt.”

“We run out of laundry detergent faster than we should,” Linda added. “I thought maybe you boys just washed your clothes more often than I was giving you credit for.”

Jodi snorted. “Are you kidding me? I brave their rooms once a week to dig out anything that might start moving on its own soon.”

Sam and Dean opened their mouths to defend themselves, but Cas cut in. “This only brings us back to my original question. Are we suggesting that there is someone else living in the bunker with us? This has been our home for almost eighteen months. That’s a long time for another person to be here without our knowledge.”

“It’s not a spirit,” Charlie said. “I walked through the whole place with an EMF meter.”

Kevin shuddered. “I don’t like the idea of someone we don’t even know being down here with us.”

“We could search it out,” Jodi suggested. “Rip this place apart from top to bottom until we find them or prove that we’re alone.”

“Shouldn’t take too long with all of us looking,” Bobby said. “We could start first thing in the morning.”

“Or we could start tonight,” Kevin said. “I’m not sure how much sleep I’m going to get after this conversation.”

“It’s not like they’re going to kill you in your sleep, Kevin,” Sam said.

“And how do you know that?”

“Most likely they would have done it already,” Cas explained.

“Exactly,” Dean said. “Tomorrow morning, we grid this place out and split up. We search every inch of it. If we’ve got a mystery house guest, we’ll find ‘em.”

“And then what?” Charlie asked.

Everyone looked around the table, but no one had an answer.


	3. Chapter 3

Three days later, and they still hadn’t found anything. The bunker had been torn apart. They’d discovered a couple of new rooms hidden behind walls deep in the basement. But they hadn’t discovered any secret roommate. Despite the evidence, none of them could seem to shake the feeling that they weren’t alone. 

That feeling especially weighed on Jodi as she did laundry in the middle of the night. She knew that she should probably make the boys do their own damn clothes, but laundry had always been a comfort chore for her. It was quiet and routine, and it gave her time to think about whatever she needed to. That wasn’t the only reason that she was doing it at one in the morning, of course. She couldn’t sleep - whether that was because of regular insomnia, or because they still hadn’t found the source of the recent mysteries, she wasn’t sure. Either way, it didn’t matter. She was still up doing laundry when everyone else had long ago dragged themselves to their beds.

It took her a long time to realize that she was no longer alone. Her first instinct was to turn and make some snarky comment at one of the boys, but something stilled her tongue. She continued to fold laundry, forcing herself to breathe steadily as she thought about her next move. 

“You’re mighty difficult to find,” she said finally without turning around.

“Hiding gets to be second nature.”

Even though she knew someone was there, Jodi almost jumped out of her skin at the unfamiliar voice. As it was, her heart was trying to break its way out of her chest, and a distinct shake had settled into her hands. She was armed with nothing except for a knife resting on the dryer, and she suddenly cursed herself for her shortsightedness. 

“You could go for it,” the voice said, “but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Jodi nodded slowly. Even though she was at a distinct disadvantage, there was a part of her that still wanted to reach for her knife and go out swinging. There was another voice inside of her head, though, and it reasoned that maybe she didn’t need to be afraid. Like Cas had said - if their mystery houseguest had wanted to hurt them, there had been ample opportunity. Maybe the presence behind her wasn’t the threat that she was afraid it was. 

So instead of going for the knife, Jodi folded the shirt in her hands and set it down in the laundry basket before turning around slowly. 

She definitely wasn’t expecting the woman standing in the doorway. To say she was statuesque may have been cliched, but Jodi couldn’t help but be reminded of actual statues she had seen. The woman was tall, her long legs clad in short denim shorts. Her brown skin was a medium shade, but there seemed to be a much deeper tone to it that almost glowed from the inside out. Every plane and angle of her seemed to be carved out of marble; each major muscle group standing out in a perfectly proportioned way. Her long, thick brown hair fell well below her shoulders and her cheeks were round, making it look as though a smile came easily to her face. Leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over the black t-shirt that she wore, Jodi could only think of one thing.

They had found Charlie’s mysterious badass.

“You’re the one who saved Charlie and Cas from those weird zombie things.”

“Yes.”

Jodi waited, but the woman didn’t say anything else. “You know, a mysterious houseguest we never see puts us all on edge.”

“You have plenty of reasons to be on edge. I’m not one of them.”

“I’m not sure the others would agree with that.”

“If they want to worry needlessly about something, that’s their problem.”

Leaning her hips against the dryer, Jodi mimicked the other woman’s posture, though she was sure she didn’t make it look as good. 

“So who are you?”

“I’m not here to answer your questions.”

“Okay…” Jodi said slowly. “Then why ARE you here? If we couldn't find you when we searched the bunker, why show up now?” It was then that she noticed something just outside of the door, and she couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Oh my god…you’re actually here to do laundry!”

This time, the woman looked just a bit sheepish. “You usually do it after dinner unless someone came home late from a hunt. I thought I’d get by unnoticed.”

“You could have disappeared when you saw me in here. I know you were standing there for awhile before I noticed you.”

She nodded. “You have good instincts. Of course, you used to be a cop, so I guess I should have expected that.”

“Probably.”

The woman shrugged. “As much fun as it is to screw around with Sam and Dean, I figured it was time to finally meet one of you. You’re looking for me. You know I’m here. And it actually takes a decent amount of effort to hide from all eight of you.”

“Does that mean you’re going to come out and say hello more often?”

“Probably not.”

Jodi’s eyes narrowed. “So what was this then? You just wanted to let me know that you’re not a threat?”

She stared at Jodi for a moment longer and then bent down to pick up her laundry basket. “It was nice to meet you, Jodi.” She turned to go.

“Wait!” Jodi was a little surprised when the woman turned back around, but she kept her gaze steady. “Why did you save them?” she asked. “Cas and Charlie?”

The woman’s eyes locked onto hers. “I can’t abide trespassers.”

For just a moment, Jodi wondered if that was a threat. But as she looked at the bigger picture, she realized that the woman was telling her that she had attacked the zombies because THEY were trespassers. And she had left everyone else in the bunker unmolested. That meant that she didn’t see them the same way. She really was letting them know that she wasn’t a threat.

“You can leave your stuff,” Jodi said. “I’ll wash it for you.”

She frowned, clearly surprised. “Why?”

Jodi shrugged. “Because you saved people that I care about a great deal. The least I can do is a load of laundry for you.”

The woman stared at her for a long moment and then nodded slowly. She walked further into the room and set the basket down in front of Jodi. Then she did the last thing Jodi expected - she stuck her hand out.

“My name is Aella.”

Forcing her own shock aside, Jodi reached out and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Aella.”

The other woman nodded once more and then turned back to the doorway. Before she left the room, she glanced back over her shoulder, a small smile tugging at her lips. 

“Tell Dean I’ll buy him more beer.”

And then she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean tried to focus on anything other than the blood seeping out of Cas’ side as he and Sam pulled their friend into the bunker. It was a thin cut across his ribs, and though the sight of some piece of shit wannabe witch lunging at Cas with a knife had sent Dean’s heart into his throat, he had initially been relieved when he had first gotten a look at the wound up close. He had been sure that a little bit of antiseptic and a bandage would patch the former angel right back up. 

Instead, Cas had gotten increasingly worse on the trip back home. He had spiked a fever and begun shaking. Dark circles had formed underneath his eyes and his skin had turned alarmingly pallid. Dean had stepped on the gas and raced to the bunker, but by the time they screeched to a stop, Cas wasn’t responding to any of their questions. 

As the three of them tried to navigate the stairs down to the war room, Sam’s feet got tangled with Cas’ and they almost all went down. Tightening his grip on his friend, Dean waved for his brother to head down first. 

“I got him,” he ground out. 

Bracing himself, Dean bent just low enough to sling Cas over one shoulder. The other man was heavier than he looked, but adrenaline fueled the hunter as he stomped down the stairs under the added weight. Sam stayed close by, one hand outstretched in case his brother needed help. 

By the time they got Cas on the bed in his room, the rest of their makeshift family had appeared. Jodi and Kevin had brought the medical supplies and set to work on the wound, while Bobby pulled the brothers aside to ask them what had happened.

“It should have been a simple salt and burn,” Sam explained. “But when we got there, it turned out that the ghosts were being dredged up by a witch instead. Before we could call for reinforcements, he’d already tracked us.”

“And you say he got Cas with a nasty looking knife?”

Dean nodded, his eyes locked on Cas as the others worked to help him. “Silver handle. Black blade.”

Bobby frowned. “Black blade? I’d say that’s unusual.”

Charlie headed for the door. “I’ll look it up, see if anything pops.”

“I don’t suppose you got a hold of the knife?” Bobby asked.

Sam shook his head. “After he sliced Cas, he threw him at us. By the time we managed to get up and figure out that Cas wasn’t dying, he and the knife were both gone.”

Dean glared at his brother as he gestured toward the bed. “We screwed up the not dying thing.”

“He’ll be okay, Dean,” Sam reassured him.

“You don’t know that.”

“And you don’t know differently,” his brother said gently. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Bobby nodded. “Indeed we do. Sam, you come with me. A description of this guy might help Charlie in her research.” He looked thoughtfully at Dean for a moment. “I take it you’re stayin’ here?”

“Not if you need me out there,” Dean said, his voice rough.   
Bobby reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You should be here. If anything changes, come get us, okay?”

Dean nodded, but he didn’t see them leave; all of his attention was focused on his best friend, lying unconscious across the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Cas didn’t get better. Jodi stood in a corner of the room, watching as Dean sat by the former angel’s bed. The fever kept going up, and now Cas was writhing in his sleep, making pained sounds as sweat beaded on his forehead. 

She wasn’t sure which was harder to watch - Cas being in so much pain, or Dean sitting by his bedside, his own tumultuous feelings engraved on his face. It was no secret to anyone in the bunker that Dean struggled with letting those around him know what they meant to him. He felt more than most people - he just had a hard time channeling that into words or friendly affection the way that normal did. He was getting better at it, and they all knew that they were important to him, but his relationship with Cas was on a whole other level. 

By some unwritten rule, no one in the bunker talked about it, even though all of them saw it. Cas had gone from the strange angel that had pulled Dean out of Hell to his best friend. Most of them had seen Dean during those horrific times when he thought that Cas was gone for good, and painful didn’t even begin to describe it. 

Jodi watched them now, taking in the way that Dean’s hand rested on the bed near Cas’, just barely brushing against it. She could feel how badly he wanted to just take that hand in his, but once again, something stopped him from showing the depth of his emotions. He couldn’t keep it out of his eyes, though, and that’s what had Jodi’s heart breaking. 

“Isn’t there anything else you can do for him?” Dean asked. He had stopped yelling hours ago, but his voice was still hoarse.

She shook her head, even though he still had his eyes on Cas. “Not without more knowledge, Dean. We have no idea what we’re dealing with.” She paused, a thought striking her. “Unless…”

His head snapped up at that and his eyes locked on her. “Unless what?”

“I might have an idea,” Jodi replied, her tone hesitant. “I’m not sure if it will do anything, and I need you to just…well, I need you to just shut up while I try it.”

Dean looked back down at his unconscious friend. “I can do that.”

Jodi nodded. “Okay. I guess I’ll just…” She pointed at the open doorway and then headed for it. “Yeah.”

She stood in the hallway for a moment, turning around in circles and questioning the merits of her idea. In the end, though, there really wasn’t anything else that they could do. Charlie and the others were doing everything they could to find out something about the knife, but she feared that there really wasn’t much time left for Cas. 

“Aella?” she called, wanting to roll her eyes at how ridiculous she sounded. “Aella, can you hear me?”

Sam stepped out of his room, confusion clear on his face. “Jodi? What are you doing?”

She waved at him to hush and then turned to face the other way. “Aella?” she called again, making her voice much louder. “Look, I’m not really sure if you could help, but we could definitely use a fresh set of eyes, okay? Cas is gonna die if we don’t figure out a way to cure this thing, and trust me - you do NOT want to share this bunker with a grieving Dean Winchester. So please…just come out and help us. Please.”

At the sound of her shouting, the others had all come into the hallway behind Sam. Bobby opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but Dean, now standing in the doorway to Cas’ room, motioned for him to be quiet. They all watched as Jodi searched the other end of the hallway, which remained empty.

Until it wasn’t anymore. 

Aella stepped forward. This time she wore a blue plaid shirt that was too big for her over her denim shorts, and half of her was pulled back, while the rest of it tumbled down her back. Everyone gasped or took a step back at her sudden appearance, but Jodi took a step forward.

“Thank you,” she breathed.

“I can’t guarantee that I can do anything for him,” Aella warned.

“We just need you to try.”

The taller woman thought for a moment before nodding and coming forward the rest of the way. “I can do that.” She stopped at the doorway Dean was currently occupying and raised an eyebrow at him. “You have to move if you want me to look at your angel.”

“If you hurt him…”

Aella tilted her head to one side. “That’s sweet,” she said flatly. “Now move.”

He stood for just a moment longer, to let her know that he was serious about his threat, but eventually he had no other choice except to step to the side. Aella moved into the room gracefully, ignoring the fact that everyone piled in behind her sharing confused looks. While everyone else hung back a bit, Jodi stood at the foot of the bed and Dean moved once again to his post at Cas’ side. 

Reaching out, Aella pulled back the blankets and removed the bandage that covered Cas’ wound. She moved her face closer to the cut, fingers gently probing the enflamed skin around it. Cas continued to shift in his sleep, his face pained as he let out small noises that cut right at Dean’s heart. 

“Do you know what weapon did this?” she asked.

“A knife,” Dean supplied. “Black blade. Silver handle.”

Aella’s brow furrowed as she searched her memory. Something about that sounded incredibly familiar, if she could just place it…”

“Shit.” She stood up straight again. “Shit.”

“What?” Charlie asked. “Do you know what it is?”

Aella nodded. “Yes. And chances are, you were never going to find it any of your books or websites.” She looked across at Dean. “I’m going to need a ceremonial knife. The oldest one you’ve got. And I’m going to need the strongest supernatural hex box you can get your hands on.” When everyone just continued to stare at her, she gestured sharply. “Now!”

Charlie jumped slightly and then grabbed Bobby, dragging him out of the room hurriedly. Sam almost went with them, but he figured that, between the two of them, they could probably find the items they were looking for fairly quickly. Instead, he turned his focus back to Aella.

“What exactly -“ He stopped, staring at her with a funny expression on his face. “Is that my shirt?”

She gave a half shrug, looking down at the shirt. “It looks better on me.”

Sam opened his mouth to argue the point, but Dean interrupted. “Okay, so we’re getting your knife and your hex box…so how about you tell us what the hell is going on?”

“Your angel got sliced by a Painajainen Veitsi. Roughly translated, Knife of Nightmares.”

“So…what?” Kevin asked. “He’s trapped in his own nightmares?”

“Technically, no. The name is misleading. The Painajainen Veitsi is a vehicle for inflicting the pain of guilt on a person. Everything that Cas views as a personal failure, he’s reliving in very vivid technicolor. The body’s not meant to handle something that intense. If he were still an angel, it would probably destroy his vessel, but leave him intact. Unfortunately, he’s human now, which means that if the body goes, he goes with it.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Dean said fiercely. “I’m not gonna let it.”

Aella regarded him coolly. “There are very few people on the planet that could withstand an onslaught like this, Dean. And I highly doubt that you are one of them. The guilt you feel on a daily basis would drown a normal man; imagine being forced to watch it in surround sound over and over again.”

“But you asked for the knife and the box,” Jodi pointed out. “So you have a plan of some sorts.”

Aella looked over at her. “There’s a ritual. There’s two, actually. One would transfer the affliction to another person. But like I said, very few people would be able to survive that.”

“And the other?”

“The other…Look, the Painajainen Veitsi is so powerful because the guilt that it manifests basically as an entity in its own right. The knife itself wishes to do harm to other people. The other ritual forces the guilt into that manifestation and transfers it to another person. The guilt and the pain are still there, but if the person can subdue the entity, they can defeat it. And once they defeat it, they can transfer it into the hex box and the thing is locked away. A bonus is that it will also render the blade less effective in the future. It might give other people the opportunity of survival. So…win win.”

Dean nodded sharply. “Good. You can transfer it into me. I’ll beat the bastard down.”

Aella watched him for a moment. “You’re willing to take this thing on for him?”

“I’m not letting it take Cas. How exactly does it work?”

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes still taking him in thoughtfully. “It’s not easy, but it’s pretty simple. I say a few magic words and then slice your palm open with the ceremonial knife. Then I place your wound over his and the thing will jump into you. Then it’s a battle between your soul and the monster. If you win, your eyes will blaze a bright purple, and you’ll slice your other palm while I say some more magic words. The guilt will be thrown into the open hex box and we slam it shut.” Aella looked over at Sam and Jodi. “Are the two of you armed?”

“Always,” Jodi replied. Sam just nodded.

“Good. Because if his eyes turn black, that means the guilt won.”

“Does that mean we can try the ritual again with someone else?” Sam asked.

She shook her head. “It means that it devoured Dean, it’s pissed off, and it has a vessel. The only choice is to take it down.”

“You mean take DEAN down,” he qualified.

“No. By then, Dean will be dead and gone. You’ll be killing the thing wearing his meat suit.” She paused. “If you can’t handle it, I will.”

Sam’s jaw clenched. “Dean -“

“We’re not letting this thing take Cas down, Sam,” his brother said firmly. “No way in hell.” He looked over at Aella and then nodded at Sam. “Do what she says.”

While they continued to wait for Bobby and Charlie, Aella continued to watch Dean. She was familiar with everyone who had moved into the bunker, and she was unsurprised to see the way Dean hovered over his friend. She knew that he was more than willing to make this sacrifice in order to save Castiel. She just wasn’t sure that he would be able to overcome the guilt that would manifest in him. It hadn’t taken her long to figure out that the Winchester brothers were absolutely rich in guilt; she could almost imagine the glee that the guilt would feel at getting its hooks into someone like that. 

Bobby and Charlie rushed into the room then, and she turned her attention to the knife and hex box that they had retrieved from a storage room. She appreciated that they had picked a clean-looking ceremonial knife, and after inspecting the box for a few seconds, she decided that the spells set into the wood would be strong enough to house the thing they were about to take on. 

“Hold the box open and facing us,” she instructed them as she took the knife and headed back to Cas’ side. And you’re gonna want to brace your knees a bit so that it doesn’t knock you on your ass.” She looked across to Dean. “You ready?”

He looked down at Cas one more time and then nodded. “Just do it.”

Aella spoke the words from memory, ignoring the anxious looks from everyone else in the room. She focused on the incantation, making sure to get every nuance just right. She could feel the knife in her hand start to grow warm and she knew that it was working. Gripping the handle just a little bit tighter, she reach out.

And sliced her own palm.

“What the hell!?” Dean demanded.

She shook her head. “This thing would eat you alive.” 

Then she slammed her palm onto Cas’ wound. 

She felt the guilt jump into her body, causing her to stumble away from the bed. She just managed to keep a hold of the knife, but she was driven to her knees as voices and faces from so many years ago flooded through her. The room spun and it became difficult to breathe, but she didn’t take her focus away from the thing inside of her. That was where the real battle lay. The guilt wanted you to get hung up on people and events from the past. And while you were distracted, it would consume you completely. She didn’t give it that opening. 

Sam kept his gun on Aella, watching her face contort and listening to the pained cries being ripped from her chest. He wasn’t entirely sure why she had used herself for the ritual instead of Dean. Part of him worried that she had lied to them and that the thing inside of her would give her power. Then again, maybe she was just doing what she could to protect them.

But why?

All of a sudden, she fell quiet, and everyone else in the room shifted nervously. Aella’s head stayed down for a few moments as she drew in ragged breaths, and then she stood up again on shaky legs. Dean and Bobby had their guns out as well by then, and they all tensed as she slowly raised her head.

Her eyes glowed a fierce purple.

Switching her knife to her other hand, she quickly mumbled a few words and then sliced the uninjured palm. Light welled up in her hand and she moved her arm like she was throwing it at the hex box. The ball of light hit it with a loud thunk, and Bobby and Charlie just managed to get it closed before it flew back out. The box shook angrily as the thing inside continued to fight, but then Aella was there, murmuring a few more words and placing her freshly cut hand on the lock. With a final snap, the lock engaged and the box stopped its shaking.

Aella reached up to push the hair out of her face, trying to ignore the tremor in her hands. Turning, she looked over at Cas and gave him a small smile.

“Your angel is awake,” she said softly.

The tirade that Dean had been about to unleash on her quickly evaporated as he turned his own attention back to the bed. Cas’ eyes were open, and though he looked weak, his color was returning to normal.

“Dean?” he asked. “What happened?”

“Hey buddy,” Dean said, his voice rougher than usual. “Welcome back.”

“He’s going to need a lot of rest over the next couple of days,” Aella said quietly. “That thing really tried to tear him apart. The best way to combat the aftereffects is touch.”

Dean looked up at her in confusion. “What?”

“Physical touch. It might sound ridiculous, but being touched by another person is a truly powerful healing tool. Skin to skin is best.” She rolled her eyes at the look on his face. “I’m not suggesting anything untoward, Dean. I’m saying that you could save your friend a lot of pain just by holding his hand once in a while. You think you can handle that?”

He stared at her for a moment and then nodded slowly before sinking into the chair next to the bed. Cas was still looking around in confusion, but Dean was completely focused on taking his friend’s hand into his own. Some tension in his body seemed to ease as their palms settled against each other, and Cas’ face was filled with wonder as he looked at the hunter. 

Aella turned and pointed at Sam. “You owe me food.”

He let out a short laugh and nodded, putting his gun away. “You got it.”


	6. Chapter 6

By the time Sam had gotten back with the food, Dean had come out into the war room with a very tired-looking Cas trailing behind him. 

“I’m hungry too,” the former angel said with a small smile. 

They sat around the tables and dug in. Aella knew that they were all waiting for answers from her, but fighting off the guilt manifestation had taken a lot out of her, and she was determined to get as much food as possible into her system before she started dealing with their questions.

As she ate, she let herself watch the change in dynamic between Dean and Cas. It was obvious that Dean wanted to hover, and just as obvious that he didn’t want to look like that was exactly what he was doing. His eyes moved from his food to his friend and back again, and whenever he took a break from eating to drink his beer, his free hand would drift over to Cas’ arm and settle there. For his part, Cas seemed to breathe just a little bit easier every time Dean touched him. 

Happy with where that seemed to be headed, Aella turned her attention away only to find Sam watching her. She met the younger Winchester’s gaze and gave him a little smirk. To his credit, he didn’t look away when he’d been caught staring, and Aella let herself admire him for a moment before she finished off her beer and leaned back.

“I’m sure you all have questions.”

Sam nodded. “We do. But first I wanted to say thank you. You saved Cas. And I’m pretty sure you saved Dean by taking on that thing by yourself.”

Aella inclined her head in acknowledgment. “I just didn’t want to deal with the mess afterward.”

Sam chuckled. “Right. Of course.”

Bobby looked over at Jodi. “You called for her by name. How did you know who she was?”

Jodi gave a small shrug. “I met her in the laundry room a couple of weeks ago.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean interrupted, leaning forward. “You met her in the laundry room, and you didn’t think that was something that the rest of us needed to know?”

“I didn’t think she was a threat, Dean. And I certainly didn’t want you setting off on another hunt through the bunker. You have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later.” She fixed him with a steely look when he opened his mouth to respond. “And if you had done that, Cas would be dead right now.”

Dean snapped his mouth shut and shot a glance over at Cas before laying his hand on the other man’s arm again. 

“Yeah, okay,” he mumbled.

“So, your name is Aella,” Sam said, bringing the conversation back on track. “And you’ve got some serious knowledge, as well as wicked fighting skills, according to Charlie and Cas.” He paused. “We owe you thanks for saving them, too.”

“That was less about saving them and more about beating the shit out of people breaking into my home.”

“Your home?” Linda asked. “I thought it was ours.”

“It was mine first.” She took a deep breath and looked at Sam again. “Look, you’re descended from a Man of Letters, so I can’t deny your right to be here. And I’ve watched you. All of you. You’re good people doing good things. So I don’t have an issue sharing the space.” She paused. “Henry Winchester was a good man, too.”

Sam frowned. “You knew our grandfather?”

“How long have you been living here?” Kevin asked.

Aella paused, thinking it over. “A long time,” she finally said. “I helped the Men of Letters for awhile, and then…then they died out. When you all showed up, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved again, but I helped where I could. I’m a valuable asset to have around.” She gave a small shrug. “And quite frankly, you can’t force me out of here. So I’m suggesting we try to live and work together in a cooperative manner. I think that’ll make it easiest on all of us.”

“What are you?” Dean asked.

She frowned. “Excuse me?”

“What. Are. You.” he repeated, emphasizing each word. If you knew our grandfather, there’s no way you should look that young. Which means you’re not human.”

“I am human.”

He shook his head. “I don’t buy it.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.” Aella sighed. “Look, I’ll pass your tests, Dean. I’ll prove that I’m no ghost, demon, vampire, shapeshifter, or whatever else you’re afraid that I am. But this is my home, and I was here first. So don’t be a dick. It won’t go in your favor.”

“If she passes the tests, I’m good with it,” Charlie added. She gave Dean a small shrug. “She saved my life, Dean. And Cas’. His twice. She didn’t have to do that. And she’s never done anything to hurt us. If she’s really been here all this time, she could have killed us in our sleep.”

There were nods all around the table. 

“I believe they are right, Dean,” Cas said quietly. “Trust may not be easy for any of us, but I would hate to turn away a potential ally, or worse, make an enemy out of them, just because we have a hard time believing that someone doesn’t want to kill us.”

Dean sighed. “Fine. But first you pass the tests. And if you do, you stop hiding in the walls or wherever. It creeps me out.”

Aella rolled her eyes. “Fine.”


	7. Chapter 7

Stepping into the doorway of the training room, Sam leaned against the frame and watched as Aella beat the shit out of a punching bag. She had passed all of their tests a few weeks back, and since then, they had all started to get used to seeing her around the bunker more often. There was still some hesitancy in the way that Dean interacted with her, but everyone else had warmed up quickly. 

For his part, Sam was really enjoying having someone new in their lives. He knew that Aella was still keeping secrets, but she hadn’t hesitated to help them with their cases. It didn’t even matter that she refused to go out hunting with them; she was doing more than enough by helping with all of the research. Her knowledge of the supernatural world was unlike anything he had ever seen, and as he continued to watch her training, he understood why Charlie had been so impressed with her fighting technique. 

“What exactly did that bag ever do to you, huh?” he asked playfully.

She turned around as though she wasn’t even a little bit surprised that he was there. “You missed the insult it threw at me. Completely unforgivable.”

He laughed. “I see. Well, I wouldn’t want to interrupt you in the middle of your vengeance.”

Aella rolled her eyes. “Does that mean you’re too much of a pansy to take me on yourself?”

Sam’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

“Come on. You and your merry band of hunters go out all of the time to take down the big nasties. Are you telling me you’re afraid to take little old me on?”

“Something tells me this is a trap.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. You game?”

Laughing again, Sam held up his hands. “Fine, fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

It wasn’t even a contest. Aella smirked at him half a second before she attacked, and then Sam was on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Aella stepped into his line of sight, hands on her hips.

“Well that was disappointing.”

“Did you really expect me to stand a chance?”

She thought about it for a moment and then shook her head. “No. I’ve had a lot of practice, though.”

“So have I. Or at least, that’s what I though.”

She laughed at that, and he found himself grinning at the sound of it. Reaching down, she helped him back to his feet and gave him a little shove.

“There’s a lot I could teach you, Winchester.”

He shrugged. “I’m game.”

“Seriously?”

“You’re obviously way better at fighting than I am, and I think that’s saying something. If you’re willing to take me on as a student…yeah. I’m serious.”

Aella laughed even as she nodded. “Okay. But please note that I am so gonna enjoy kicking your ass on a regular basis.”

Sam couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled so much. “Noted.”


	8. Chapter 8

Sam wasn’t sure what woke him up, but he instantly knew that something wasn’t right. He sat up in bed and looked around his dark room, but he couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Quietly, he slid out of bed and padded to the door. He stuck his head out cautiously, looking left and right down the always-lit corridor. Still, there was nothing. 

But Sam couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong. Bending down, he slid on the sneakers that he always kept by the door and grabbed the gun that he kept in the drawer by his bed. Then he moved out into the hall, gun at the ready.

All hell broke loose. 

The nighttime silence of the bunker was shattered by the sounds of fighting coming from all directions. Yells and pained moaning made their way down the corridor, and Sam began to move on pure instinct, heading for the war room. 

He didn’t make it that far. Crossing through the kitchen, he was jumped by two attackers. He only had time to register that they were both men before they were on him, and then he was fighting for his life. His training sessions with Aella were fresh in his mind and they helped him overpower one of the men. A bullet to the head took the stranger out of commission, and Sam turned quickly to deal with the second man.

But the other attacker wasn’t there anymore. Sam turned around a couple of times, but he was obviously gone, despite the fact that that didn’t make any sense. The attackers had had the advantage, and the second man could have gone in for the kill while Sam was distracted. Instead, he had run. Which meant that Sam wasn’t his target.

So who was?

Fear coiling in the pit of his stomach, Sam rushed from the kitchen and into the war room.

The room was in total chaos. Sam recognized the laptop that was open on one of the tables, and he realized that Charlie must have still been up when the attack came, either doing research or playing one of her online games. He looked around frantically, breathing a little easier when he found the redhead hiding behind a bookshelf as she shot at the numerous attackers. Oddly enough, they didn’t seem very interested in engaging her; instead, they were flooding deeper into the bunker, as though they were looking for something specific. 

“GO!” 

He jumped in surprise and turned to see Jodi and Bobby coming up behind him, their own weapons out. 

“We’ll take care of what we can here,” Bobby said. “Go find out what the hell they’re after!”

Sam hesitated for only a second before nodding and hurrying to follow the intruders. He knew that all of the noise had to have awakened everyone else by then, but he had no way of knowing where they were or if they were even alive. 

He came across Cas and Dean in one of the corridors, his brother wrestling someone to the ground as he tried to restrain them. When he caught sight of Sam, he nodded further down the hall.

“It’s like they don’t even wanna fight us, man! They’re all heading in the same direction!” He finally pinned the guy and got right in his face. “What are you after?” He yelled.

The man underneath him just made a hideous roaring sound. It sent a wave of chills down Sam’s spine, and he ran past them, desperate to figure out what their end goal was. They were either after a specific item in the bunker, or they were after someone personally. Something inside of him whispered that it was the latter and his stomach once again clenched painfully at the thought. 

The bunker was always bigger than he remembered, and Sam quickly lost the trail. He continued moving, but when all indications of fighting seemed to have disappeared, he slowed down, wondering what the hell was going on. Had they gotten what they came for? Were they gone?

“SAM!!!”

At the sound of his brother bellowing his name, Sam turned and ran as fast as he could in the direction of Dean’s voice. There had been fear and anger there, and that meant that their attackers had been after one of them…

He rounded the last corner and came to a sudden stop, breath catching in his chest as he took in the sight before him. Aella was there, and she had been fucking crucified against the stone wall of the corridor. Her breathing was shallow, and he could see blood coming from a wound in her side as well.

Dean turned to look at him. “Help me get her down, man!”

His brother’s voice made him spring into action and he raced forward. Dean was already using a crowbar on one of the large nails driven through her palms. Sam reached for the other one, but it was driven into the wall so tightly that he couldn’t make it budge. There was a clanging sound as Dean finally got his nail out, and the freed arm fell to Aella’s side. 

“I’ll get the nails,” Dean said, rushing over to the other side. “You catch her, okay?”

Sam just nodded and got his arms around Aella so that he could catch her. He could hear the rattle in her chest each time she took a breath, and the sound scared the shit out of him. Tightening his hold on her, he bit back the need to urge Dean to go faster. His brother was doing everything he could, and the second nail soon fell to the floor.

As he stood there supporting her weight, Sam couldn’t focus on anything other than Aella. He knew firsthand what a strong fighter she was, but he had also gotten a decent look at how many attackers had filled the bunker. Nobody stood a chance against a deluge like that. They had left everyone else alone for the most part and gone straight for her. Why? Who was she? And who would send so many people after her at once?

Finally, Dean managed to get her feet free as well, and Sam was supporting all of her weight. He looked down at her for a moment before swinging her up into his arms.

“We have to get her to a hospital.”

Dean nodded, and it was then that Sam realized everyone else had converged on them. They all seemed to be okay, which just solidified the fact that Aella had been the one and only target. 

“Alright. Bobby, you deal with our hostage and see what you can get out of him. I’ll drive these two to the hospital -“

“I’m coming with you,” Jodi interrupted.

Dean didn’t even hesitate. “Fine. We’ll call you guys as soon as we know anything.”

Sam was already moving before his brother had even finished speaking. He could feel Aella’s breathing growing weaker; they HAD to get her medical attention if they were going to have any hope of saving her. Reaching the war room, he strode purposefully over to the stairs and climbed them two at a time. The door was still open from the attack and he stepped outside -

And found himself walking right back into the war room from the kitchen.

Dean stared from the now-empty door to where his brother was standing below. “What the hell?”

Sam shook his head and then jogged back to the stairs and up them to the open door. He went through again -

And ended up right back downstairs.

Looking bewildered, Dean went through the open doorway and then came right back through the same door. He pointed down at Sam. “Okay, so why can I leave, and you can’t?”

“I don’t think it’s me,” Sam said, staring down at Aella. “I think it’s her.”


	9. Chapter 9

Nothing they tried fixed the problem. Every single one of them could leave the bunker - except for Aella. Sam wanted to ask her what that meant, but she was unconscious and still losing blood. All he could do was focus on keeping her alive. 

Dean and Bobby hadn’t been able to get anything out of their hostage, either. On closer inspection, he and his fellow attackers seemed to be just like the ones that had infiltrated the bunker before. The ones that Aella had saved Charlie and Cas from. Was that why they were back? Did they want revenge on Aella for killing so many of them?

That didn’t entirely make sense either, and trying to think the problem through was starting to give Sam a headache.

“I’m sorry, Sam.”

He looked up in surprise to see that Cas had come into the room. He looked down at Aella with a sad expression.

“For what?”

“Aella has saved me. Twice, in fact. And there’s nothing that I can do for her in return.” He looked down at his hands as though he could see something there that no one else could. “If I were still an angel…”

“Healing powers would be nice right now, but I don’t blame you for not having them. You’re human, now. This is just part of life.” He paused. “Well, life for a hunter, anyway.”

“How is she?” Cas asked.

Sam shook his head, pressing one of his hands to her forehead. They had cleaned and bandaged her wounds, but she wasn’t getting any better. The wound in her side was what worried him - he thought there might be internal bleeding.

“She needs a doctor. Maybe if we go to the hospital and get one of them to come with us -“

“If internal bleeding is the problem, Sam, they’ll need an operating room to fix her. She would still need to leave the bunker.”

“What could cause that?” Sam asked. “What could keep her here?”

“Any number of things. Perhaps there is a spell that binds her to this place.”

Sam paused. “Do you think she knew? That she couldn’t leave?”

“Yes.” When Sam looked up, the former angel shrugged. “She never tried to leave, Sam. Not even once. Despite her fighting skills, she refused to go out on cases. She never joined us for meals out. She knew that she couldn’t leave. I’m sure that she didn’t mention it because it would have raised more questions. Questions that she wasn’t willing to answer.” Cas hesitated a moment before speaking again. “There is one thing I can think of that might save her. One being that we could call on.”

Sam winced. “We’ve never had good luck with the angels, Cas. Excluding you, of course.”

“Angels are not the only ones with the ability to heal. Their fallen brethren may not use the ability often, but they still have it.”

He frowned. “You want to ask a demon for help? Who would you even -“ He stopped, sighing. “Seriously?”

“I believe that he could help. And I believe that we are out of options if you wish to save her.” Cas paused. “I’ll make the call, if you would like.”

It only took looking back down at Aella’s unconscious form for Sam to nod. “Yeah. Please.”


	10. Chapter 10

Crowley strolled into the room like he owned it, and Sam already wanted to punch him in the mouth. 

“Well, well, well,” the king of Hell sang, “what have we got -“ His eyes fell on Aella and he stopped abruptly. Every trace of smugness disappeared from his face. “Get out,” he said. “All of you.”

Confused, Sam shook his head and stood his ground. “No way. Cas says demons can still heal. You need to heal her. Now.”

“You want favors, Moose? You’ve got to be willing to give a little bit. Now get.”

“You really think we’re gonna leave you alone with her?” Dean asked from his corner of the room. “Do we look that stupid to you?” He held up a hand and shook his head. “Nevermind. Don’t answer that.”

Crowley finally dragged his eyes away from Aella. “Look, you want me to save your girlfriend? You need to get out. I promise I won’t do anything to hurt her. She’ll be as good as new. My one and ONLY stipulation is that you leave the bloody room!”

They wanted to argue it. But as Sam and Dean looked at each other, they knew they didn’t really have any choices left. Without healing, Aella would die, and it didn’t look like they were going to get anything out of Crowley if they didn’t give him what they wanted. They certainly didn’t have time to strike any formal deals with them. If he stonewalled them, Aella would still die.

Sam got right up in Crowley’s face, towering over him and jabbing a finger at his chest. “We’ll be right outside,” he said quietly. “And so help me, if ANYTHING bad happens to her, I will spend the rest of my days hunting you down so that I can carve out your hide with a rusty knife. You got that?”

Crowley rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. I’m quite familiar with threats du Winchester. Now get the hell out.”

He watched them carefully and waited for them to pull the door shut behind them before he hurried up to Aella. Perching himself on the edge of the bed, he pulled the sheets down so that he could place his hands over her wound. Focusing inward, he forced his power down into her and began stitching her insides back up again. Aella’s eyes flew open and she was about to cry out in pain, but Crowley slammed one hand over her mouth.

“Don’t make a sound, love. Those pesky boys will just come running back in here and we need to get you patched up again.”

The process was long and painful, and it left Aella gasping for breath by the time it was finished. Crowley slowly pulled his hands away, satisfied that she was going to make it.

“Thanks,” she breathed, still trying to get her body to calm down from the stress. “I didn’t think I was gonna pull out of that one.”

“Their former angel boy put the call out to me. Said they had someone who couldn’t leave the bunker and needed healing immediately. Imagine my surprise when I come strolling in and I find YOU, Aella.” He paused, shaking his head. “Is THIS where you’ve been all this time?”

“It’s a long story, Crowley. One I’d rather not get into just now.”

“Oh, I can imagine. I take it your mother doesn’t know you’re here.”

Aella scoffed, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “I’m betting she does. She warned me, remember? I was the idiot that didn’t listen to her. Being trapped here is my punishment.”

Crowley frowned. “Love, though it’s true that I haven’t seen your mother in a VERY long time, I highly doubt that she’s just leaving you here to rot. Last I knew, she was ripping apart every corner of the earth looking for you. She even came to me early on, asking for my help. Nothing I did could locate you.” He looked around the bunker. “I can’t believe those bastards trapped you here. Well, maybe I can. But it was still a shitty thing to do.” His eyes slid over to the door. “I’m guessing that the Winchester clan doesn’t know the whole story?”

Aella glared at him. “Is it a story you would want to share with people, if YOU were the stupid main character?”

“No, not really.” He patted her knee. “I could find her, you know. Let her know that you’re okay. I wouldn’t have to tell her where you are just yet, if you’re not ready.”

“And what if she already knows, Crowley?” she asked quietly. “I’m not sure I need confirmation that my mother has written me off.”

“People surprise you, love. Let me set her mind at ease at least a bit, alright?”

Aella shook her head. “She’ll just force you to tell her everything. I’m not ready for that yet.”

Crowley looked at her sadly, but eventually nodded. “Alright. I’ll follow your lead. For now.” He stood up and walked over to the door, opening it and letting the Winchesters back in. “Your girlfriend is alive and well again. I’ll expect you to at least pay me in alcohol the next time you see me.” He winked back at Aella. “Until next time, love.”

And with that, he left the bunker, whistling a jaunty tune the whole way.


	11. Chapter 11

“Stop staring at me, Dean,” Aella snapped, flipping the page of yet another thick and dusty tome from the depths of the bunker. 

“I just don’t get it. Why would Crowley help us out on this one?”

Aella sighed, tossing her pen down onto the table. “Don’t you think it’s more important that we figure out what these zombie creatures are? Can’t we just let the Crowley thing go for now?”

“No. No. No. Because anything we ever have to do with Crowley always comes back to bite us in the ass. Always.”

“It’s not going to this time.”

Dean threw his hands up in the air. “How? How can you possibly guarantee that?”

“Because Crowley owed me.”

Dean stopped suddenly, leaning forward with wide eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Look, Dean…I’m not getting into this story. I’ve known Crowley for some time. I did him a favor once. Now he’s repaid it. So it’s not going to come back on you because technically he didn’t do YOU a favor. Got it?”

“You know the king of Hell personally? And you don’t think I should be worried about that when I know that you’re still keeping secrets from us?”

Aella rolled her eyes. “Right. Because no one in this little family ever keeps secrets from one another.”

Dean pointed a finger at her. “That doesn’t -“

“Guys, I think I found something!”

They both turned as Charlie came rushing into the war room with her laptop. Dean looked like he wanted to continue their conversation, but Aella was thankful for the interruption, and she focused all of her attention on Charlie.

“Zombies?” she asked.

Charlie nodded excitedly. “I had to delve really deep into ancient Greek mythology.”

Aella frowned. “Greek? Don’t tell me this is the work of one of the gods.”

“I’m not sure actually.” She set down the laptop and took a seat. “There’s this guy over in Finland who’s digitizing ancient books. The reason we couldn’t find any of this stuff is because he had the last remaining copy and he just uploaded it.”

“So what does it say?” Dean asked.

“Basically, there are some ancient stories about a staff. According to those stories, it’s really gorgeous and intricate, and it totally has the ability to raise people from the dead. The staff has always been feared, because if someone gets a hold of it and manages to harness the power locked inside of it, they can raise an army and overpower anybody they come up against.”

“Okay…” Dean said slowly, “but wouldn’t we be seeing reports of empty graves somewhere?”

“That’s just the thing. The staff raises them, but their actual bodies stay in the ground.”

He frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Aella held up a finger. “It does, actually. If you raise the bodies, you’ve basically got a bunch of stinking corpses on your hands. Not to mention the empty graves. Someone would probably notice that. I’ve heard stories of ancient Greek magics that can essentially put a person back into a manifestation of their body. If the rituals are performed correctly, the manifestation is solid. You wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t a real physical body.”

Charlie added. “That’s exactly what I found. And the only way to kill these guys is a salt and burn. Like we did after they attacked the bunker. If we had let the corpses stick around long enough, they would have risen again.”

“Which explains the multiple mortal wounds,” Dean concluded. “That’s some pretty nasty magic.”

Charlie grimaced. “It gets worse. The people that those bodies belonged to are getting stuffed into those manifestations without their souls. The rest of them is there, but from what I can tell, the soul is already in heaven or hell. But the rest of the them - their personalities, their hopes, their fears, all of it - gets stuffed back in, and they’re not really in the driver’s seat.”

“So they’re angry and hurting on top of it,” Aella said quietly. “Chomping at the bit and unable to take out the person controlling them.”

Dean leaned back and took a swig of his beer. “So that tells us what’s happening, but not the identity of the schmuck running the show.” He looked over at Aella. “Before, you asked if it was one of the gods doing this. You think they’re serious suspects?”

She thought for a moment. “Let’s face it, the gods have a reputation because they’ve earned it. And something like this would take a lot of mojo to work. At the same time, though…this is suicidally insane.”

Dean snorted. “That sounds like the very definition of the gods.”

“Maybe in their younger days. But remember - just because immortals don’t age doesn’t mean that they don’t grow up. Eventually, most people mellow out.”

“We don’t need to know who’s behind it!” Charlie cut in.

Dean frowned. “We don’t?”

“Well, I mean, of course we do. But we don’t need to know WHO specifically is behind it in order to find them. There are specific omens that come with this kind of magic.”

“So we track the omens right back to the asshole,” Dean said.

Charlie nodded. “And I already did.” She turned the laptop around to show them the map she had pulled up. “Does it ever bother you that creepy things like this seem to gravitate toward us?”

Dean was already on his feet and grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair. “That’s only twenty miles from here.”

Charlie got up as well. “I’ll tell the others that we’re gearing up?”

Aella, still seated, shook her head. “I don’t like this.”

Dean pointed at Charlie’s laptop. “Did you hear everything that Charlie told us? We can’t exactly let somebody raise an army of the dead.”

“I know, but -“

“And it’s not like we’re just gonna march in like a bunch of idiots, okay? We’ll scope the place out, see if we can get a visual on the dude with the staff. If we can do that, we’ll be that much closer to putting an end to him.”

Aella opened her mouth to keep arguing, but Dean was already leaving the room. Sam walked in as she threw her hands up into the air.

“I take it you have some issues with the plan,” he said.

“If THIS is what you guys call a plan, no wonder you’ve died so many times.”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “You know we have to follow this lead.”

She stood up and walked over to him. “I have a bad feeling about this, Sam. Don’t go.”

“Dean’s going,” he said gently. “That means I go, too. You know that. Look, I’ll call you when we get there, okay? That way you’ll be able to keep tabs on us.”

Aella reached out and grabbed his sleeve as he turned away. “Be careful,” she whispered. “Please.”

Sam squeezed her hand. “Promise.”


	12. Chapter 12

Long after everyone had left, Aella still couldn’t shake the sick feeling deep inside her stomach. They had no way of knowing what was waiting for them at the cemetery, and there was a chance that all of this was just a big trap. 

That thought made her stop in her tracks. How could it be a trap? How could their adversary possibly know that they would figure out what he was doing, and where he was doing it? 

Her eyes slid over to Charlie’s closed laptop. Was their source in Finland just a bit too convenient? What were the odds that he would just now be posting this long-forgotten book on the internet after they had spent so much time searching for clues? 

The phone in her hand rang, causing her to jump.

“Hello?” she answered, fear running just beneath her skin.

“It’s me,” Sam said over the line. “We’re just outside of the cemetery.”

“And?”

“And…it looks normal.”

“There’s no one there?”

“Not that I can see…” He trailed off, and she imagined him craning his neck to get a better look around. “Just because the omens were pointing here doesn’t mean our bad guy was going to be here when we showed up.”

“Does this mean you’re coming home?”

“Not yet. Dean and I are taking a look around the perimeter…What the hell?”

Aella’s grip on the phone tightened instinctively. “What? What is it?”

“Oh my god,” he breathed. He paused, and then Aella had to pull her ear back from the phone. “DEAN!!!” he bellowed.

“Sam? Sam!”

The phone had already gone dead, and Aella found herself staring at it as she stood in the middle of an empty bunker. The enormity of the situation hit her like baseball bat. They were all in trouble, facing an unknown evil, and she couldn’t do anything about it. There weren’t any reinforcements to call in. She couldn’t leave the bunker. She -

She couldn’t leave the bunker because she didn’t have enough power to break through the spell that kept her there. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t perform her own magic. And there was only one person she could call that would be able to finally free her. Aella didn’t want to do it, but the idea of Sam and the others being hurt or killed twisted her insides up in knots. Before the Winchester clan moved into the bunker, she had been alone for so long…she was only just now realizing how much they had all come to mean to her. So it didn’t matter that she didn’t want to do the spell. Her friends needed her. End of story.

Clutching onto that thought, she broke into a run and raced deeper into the bunker.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam took aim from behind a headstone, taking out another one of the zombies. They were being attacked by so many, though, that he knew they were never going to get a chance to burn them before they rose again. 

He looked around and realized just how hopeless their situation seemed to be. The zombie horde was closing in, and despite the fact that they could see the man with the staff, none of them could get close enough to put a bullet in his head. 

They had tried, of course, which was why Dean was now leaning against one of the headstones as Cas held a torn piece of his shirt to the wound that was sending a steady stream of blood down the hunter’s face. Dean was lucky to even be alive - if it hadn’t been for Cas’ quick reflexes, his head would be caved in right now. 

The former angel looked up and met Sam’s gaze. He knew that his own lack of hope was reflected there.

Just then, the ground began to shake, and Sam briefly closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure what exactly was coming, but in his experience, sudden earthquakes were never a good sign. He ejected the magazine and replaced with a fresh one, taking a deep breath as he tried to steady himself for whatever was coming. Pushing himself up slightly, he looked over the headstone again. 

A deep blue light exploded into the center of the zombie army, momentarily blinding them all. When their vision cleared, Aella stood there, next to a woman who had her same dark skin and piercing gaze. Sam watched in awe as the two of them fought together, ripping apart their attackers like they weren’t even there. Aella cut through zombie after zombie, while her companion did the same; the difference, however, was that the newcomer also set fire to every one of them that they took down. None of them would be getting back up.

The number of attackers lessening, the Winchesters and their friends were able to once again join the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam could see that his brother was once again gunning for the man with the staff, with Cas and Jodi not far behind him. He tried to make it over to them, but there were still too many zombies in his way. He had no choice but to focus on killing the ones around him. 

Before too long, there was no one left to fight. All around them lay charred bodies, and the stench of burning flesh was heavy in the air. Dean looked around wildly.

“Where is he?” he demanded. “Where’s the bastard with the staff?”

“He got away,” Kevin answered, stepping over a body with a grimace. “Once he saw the way the battle was going, I think he knew that he had to hightail it out of here.”

Dean threw up his hands. “Great. That’s just great.” He turned to Aella. “And what about you, huh? How the hell did you get out of the bunker?”

Aella opened her mouth to answer, but the woman beside her stood up straighter and got between her and the oldest Winchester.

“Do not speak to my daughter like that, Man of Letters. You have imprisoned her for far too long, and you shall pay for your folly.” 

She raised an arm, eyes flashing, but Aella grabbed a hold of her and placed herself in front of Dean. “No!”

The woman looked at her in confusion. “You would still protect them? After everything they’ve done to you?”

Aella sighed. “They haven’t done anything to me, Mom. They don’t even know who I really am. The Men of Letters died out decades ago. Sam and Dean and their friends only moved into the bunker this past year. They had nothing to do with what happened to me.”

“You’re telling me that they’re not Men of Letters?”

Sam took a tentative step forward. “Our grandfather was,” he explained. “We didn’t know anything about it until last year. We’re hunters.”

The fury in her face lost some of its edge, and Aella let go of her. “They’re good people, Mom. They’ve become my friends. There’s no one left to take vengeance on.” 

“How about we start over?” Linda said after a few moments of awkward silence. “Aella, can you introduce us?”

Aella gave the smaller woman a grateful smile. “Of course. Mom, these are Sam, Dean, Bobby, Jodi, Charlie, Kevin, and Linda. Guys…this is my mom. Athena.”

People raised a hand in greeting, but Charlie’s eyes immediately widened as she stared between mother and daughter. Bobby caught her expression and frowned. 

“Charlie? What is it?”

“Athena??” she asked, her voice high and disbelieving. “Your mom is freaking ATHENA??”

Dean gave her a questioning look. “So her name’s Athena, so…” He trailed off as his eyes widened. “Wait a second…you don’t mean. I mean…you can’t be.”

“Holy shit,” Jodi whispered.

Sam clapped a hand across his eyebrow. “You’re the daughter of a goddess!?”

Aella nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. Guess I never mentioned that part, huh?”

“Just a minor detail that you left out,” Bobby replied, still staring at Athena. 

“So does that mean you’re a god, too?” Kevin asked. “How could a god be trapped in the bunker?”

Aella gestured toward the cars. “Let’s go have this conversation where we’re not surrounded by a bunch of smoldering corpses, okay?” She caught the wary look in Dean’s eye. “We’re not going to hurt you, Dean. I haven’t actually changed from who I was this morning. You just know more about me now.”

“Can we order out lunch?” Charlie asked as she headed for the cars. “Fighting zombies makes me hungry.”

Aella smiled at her. “Sounds like a plan.”


	14. Chapter 14

“First off, I’m not a god,” Aella explained as they all dug into their food. Dean stared at Athena, seemingly shocked to be watching a goddess eat Mexican takeout. Aella ignored him and continued. “Technically, I’m a demigod.”

“So your dad was a mortal?” Kevin asked.

She nodded. “I never knew him. He died just after my mother got pregnant.”

“It was Hera,” Athena said, her tone disgusted. “She thought me a peasant for daring to sleep with a mortal man, despite the fact that she’s done it a time or two. I think she’s just testy on the subject because of her own husband’s infidelities.”

Aella had heard the story before, and she had learned a long time ago that getting angry at Hera wasn’t going to do her any good. She continued on with her story.

“A very long time ago, I befriended a Man of Letters. Against my mother’s judgment, I spent a great deal of time in this bunker helping them to learn about the supernatural side of life. I didn’t think that they knew who I was.”

“He betrayed you,” Sam said softly.

Aella nodded. “I was a fool.” She turned to look at her mother. “I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.”

Athena looked at her sadly. “My anger was only ever a flash in the pan, my darling. I would have helped you, if you had just called out to me.”

“I thought you knew,” Aella explained with a shrug. “You’re Athena. You always seemed to know everything. So…when you didn’t come for me…I thought that you were punishing me.”

Athena reached out and took her daughter’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I would never do that to you,” she promised fiercely. “I even begged Crowley to help me, but he couldn’t find you either.”

“Crowley?” Bobby asked. “You asked the King of Hell for help?”

“He may be a demon, but evil is not black and white, gentlemen. It’s a grayscale. I’ve assisted Crowley in the past with vengeance against other demons. In the process, we’ve become friends. I’m not ashamed to admit that.”

“So that’s why he helped you,” Dean said, putting the pieces together. “He recognized you.”

Aella nodded. “He wanted to tell Mom that I was okay, but I wouldn’t let him.

“So you’ve just been trapped in this bunker all this time?” Charlie asked. “What did you do when the last Man of Letters died?”

“There was nothing I could do,” she replied. “I cataloged things that were unorganized. I got us hooked up to the internet when that came around. That was a godsend, by the way. You really can get just about everything delivered right to your doorstep nowadays.”

“Are demigods immortal?” Jodi asked. 

“They are if they come to Olympus,” Athena asked, giving her daughter a level look. “It’s obvious that the spell that trapped you here kept you from aging, but that has been broken now. You’ll age just as other mortals do unless you come home with me.” When Aella didn’t respond right away, Athena set down her fork. “But you don’t intend to come to Olympus,” she said, seeing the answer in her daughter’s eyes.

Aella shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ve been trapped in a place I couldn’t leave for so long. And though I know that I’d be with you…Olympus wouldn’t really be much different. I like the world, Mom. I want to live in it, even if that means that I’ll die someday.”

Tears in her eyes, Athena reached out and brushed Aella’s hair back. “Part of me wants to tie you up and haul you back there kicking and screaming.” She sighed. “But I look at you and realize that you are my daughter, through and through. You’ve made your own decisions your entire life, and I have always been proud of that - even when I didn’t agree with your choices.” She looked around at the others, weighing them one by one. “You’ve really come to care about these people, haven’t you?”

“Yes. And they’re not like Peter, Mom. It took me a really long time to learn that his betrayal didn’t mean that all mortals were like that. But I’ve watched these people. I’ve shared meals with them and fought by their side. Even if they did turn around and hurt me…I’d rather risk it and live my life. I don’t want to hide anymore.”

Athena nodded, giving her a watery smile. “Then I’ll respect your choice,” she said quietly. “I will be coming by to visit when I can, though, okay?” She gave Dean and Sam hard looks. “And if either of you turn on my daughter…”

“We won’t,” Sam said. “Aella is family.”

Aella beamed at that, and Athena accepted it with a nod. Wiping at her eyes, she brought her emotions back under control. “Alright, then. We need to talk about Deukalion then.”

Everyone else frowned in confusion, but Aella stared at her mother. “Is THAT who that was?”

Athena nodded. “Yes.”

“Who is Deukalion?” Dean asked.

“The man with the staff,” Aella explained. “The man raising up an army of the undead.” She looked at her mother again. “How the HELL did he get his hands on the staff of Cyrenios?”

“He broke into one of our store rooms in Olympus and took it.” She paused, her expression darkening. “He killed seven guards to do it, too.”

Aella pulled back slightly; when she saw the lack of comprehension on the faces of her friends, she explained. “It takes very dark magic to kill demigods that reside in Olympus. And because dark magic is cyclical, the murders would have only made him stronger.”

“But who is he?” Dean asked again. “How did he even know about the staff or where you were keeping it?”

Athena sighed. “Deukalion is a demigod as well - the son of Hera and a mortal.”

“But you said Hera didn’t like when the gods slept with humans,” Linda pointed out.

“She’s a hypocritical bitch,” Athena said bluntly. “She always has been. Deukalion was born about fifty years before Aella. He disappeared shortly after his eighteenth birthday though, and Hera was unable to find him and bring him to Olympus. Most of the gods wrote him off as gone for good.”

“But he’s back,” Sam pointed out.

Athena nodded. “He’s back.”

“What does he plan to do with the staff? I mean, aside from raising the dead and killing a ton of people.”

“He wants to be a god.”

Dean held up a hand. “But he’s a demigod. I mean, there’s no ascension plan for you guys, right? A demigod can’t become a god.”

“Generally speaking, that would be true. Unless that demigod were to topple Olympus entirely, slaughter all of the old gods, and take up the throne.”

“That sounds epically bad,” Charlie murmured.

“Can’t you guys just smite him down?” Dean asked. “You’re gods, for god’s sake!” He stopped, frowning at his own sentence. “You know what the hell I mean!”

“It’s not that simple,” Athena explained. “For one thing, the dark magics that Deukalion has unearthed and cloaked himself in are far more powerful that any of us could have imagined. He’s protected. And…” Her expression turned sad. “And our time is waning.”

Aella’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean…”

Athena nodded. “Yes.” She looked at the others. “I’m sure some of you know your mythology. The deities have a cycle. From Gaia and Kronos, to the Titans, every power structure has its start and its end.”

“But…you’re immortal,” Jodi said.

“Indeed we are.” She gave them an amused smile. “Do you not think that Gaia and Kronos are out in the world? Because they are. They no longer have their powers, but they have their lives. And that is what we’ll eventually happen to the gods who currently reside in Olympus. Unless…”

“Unless Deukalion brings in an army and wipes you out,” Sam supplied. 

“Exactly. He must be stopped. Our time may be ending, but that doesn’t mean that his time has to start.” She looked around the table. “Will you help us look for a way to stop him?”

“We will,” Aella replied. “Well, I guess I can’t speak for the others, but I will. I’ll pass along anything that I find.”

“Yeah, I definitely don’t want that douchebag winning,” Dean grumbled. “I’m in.”

“We all are,” Jodi said. 

“Thank you.” Athena stood. “I really need to get back. Olympus is only at its strongest when all of us are there.”

Aella stood as well, hugging her mother for a long time. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered.

“And I have missed you. I have a present before I go, however.” 

She snapped her fingers, and a black box appeared on the table. Aella gave her mother a questioning look before gently opening it. She gasped as she looked inside, running her fingers over the various handles. 

“It’s time you were truly armed, my child,” Athena said. “You were always at your best with a blade in hand. May they always provide you with the protection that you need.”

“Thank you,” Aella whispered. “Thank you.”

Athena smiled and kissed her softly on the forehead. Aella’s eyes fluttered shut automatically, reveling in the feeling of peace.

And when she opened her eyes, her mother was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam found her a little while later outside, staring up at the stars. He wasn’t at all surprised that she wasn’t in the bunker. Though she hadn’t told them exactly how long she had been trapped down there, it had obviously been far too long. He couldn’t imagine how good fresh air and an open sky felt to her right then.

“I’m not running away,” she said without turning around. “Just…enjoying this.”

He stepped up next to her, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jacket and bumping her arm with his. “It’s easy to take it for granted,” he said. “It really is beautiful out here.”

“I was starting to think that I’d never see the stars again.”

He moved his gaze from the sky to her profile, letting his eyes move over her features slowly. After finding out that she was a daughter of Athena, a part of him had been sure that she would be leaving them. And why shouldn’t she? The bunker had been her prison for years. It was only natural that she would want to get away from it. He still couldn’t quite believe that she had decided to stay.

“You could have told us,” he said quietly. “You could have told me.”

She shrugged. “What good would that have done? I think Dean would have had some trust issues about having a demigod in the bunker.”

“We could have helped,” Sam insisted. “We could have looked for a way to break the spell and set you free.”

Aella gave him a look. “You don’t think I’ve looked? Sam, I was in that bunker for well over a hundred years. I had time to go through just about everything. I don’t know where they got the spell to trap me, but they either destroyed any trace of it, or one of the few who retired took it with them.”

“Magnus might have had it,” Sam said. “The Man of Letters that turned his back on them. He liked to collect things that he had no business keeping.”

“I remember him,” she said, her voice distant. “He tried to force me to go with him when he left. It worked about as well as you and Dean trying to take me to the hospital.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I know it bothers you that I kept that part of myself hidden for so long.”

“But you were used to hiding.”

“Very much so. Now you know it, though - my big horrible secret.” She looked over at him. “You sure you’re still okay with me sticking around?”

His smile was wide and easy. “Yeah, I’m good with it. In fact…I’m really glad that you ARE staying, Aella. I didn’t like the idea of you walking away from us.”

“Careful, Winchester. You might feel differently some day.”

Sam shook his head and looked back up at the stars. “I highly doubt that.”

They stood in silence and watched the sky.


	16. Chapter 16

He watched her as she moved through the store, her fingertips lightly trailing over the spines of books as she browsed their titles. It had been so long since he had last seen her. He knew of the Men of Letters. He knew of her foolish attachment to the one called Peter, and he knew that she had paid a dear price for putting her trust in a man such as him. 

He wished that he had been able to get to her sooner, but the underground lair was not a safe place for him to be. He had heard rumors of the things hidden down there, and with the accumulated knowledge of the Men of Letters, there was every chance that they could harm him before he finished his plan. 

So he had kept his distance.

But things were moving faster now. He had the staff, and he had unlocked it’s deepest secrets. His army was steadily growing, and soon it would be time for him to march into Olympus as its rightful king.

And every king needed a queen. 

They were the only two left. The other halfbreed children had either taken refuge with their immortality in Olympus, or they had died off in painfully mortal ways. It was fitting that the two of them would put an end to the old ones and usher in a new regime. 

He had made mistakes, of course. His fear of the Men of Letters and their knowledge had kept him from the bunker, but he had still send members of his army there. The undead had little desire except to kill, however, and they had tried to harm her. Luckily, she had survived both times, which only confirmed what he had already suspected. She would make the perfect queen for his new world.

He waited until she reached the back of the store, a corner where they would be unseen by anyone at the register. Moving on silent feet, he stepped up right behind her, leaving only a breath between their bodies.

“I thought you’d never approach me,” she said without turning around.

That pulled him up short. “You knew that I was there?”

She turned around, giving him a look. “Of course I knew. I knew it as soon as you walked into the store. You seemed hesitant, though.”

Of course she had known that he was there. He couldn’t expect any less from the woman he would have by his side. “Only cautious,” he said. “I’ve waited a long time to see you.”

“Indeed.”

He took a deep breath, bolstered by her relaxed posture and the interest burning in her eyes. “You know what I’m doing. What I’m trying to accomplish.”

“Yes.”

“And you wish to be a part of it?”

She gave him a small smile as she reached out and rested fingertips against his arm. “Yes.”

He had never imagined that it would be so easy. He had played the scenario out in his head multiple times, of course. Sometimes he thought he might have to drug her and whisk her away so that he could convince her of the sense in what he was doing. Other times, they would argue heatedly about the right and the wrong of it. Now he knew that they wouldn’t have to waste any time with that. They were on the same page, just as they should have been. Just as they were meant to be. He moved even closer.

“We can go right now,” he whispered.

This time her fingers landed on his chest, stopping him. “I have things that I need. But I can meet you tomorrow. Wherever you’d like.”

He didn’t like that she’d be going back to that place and to those people. Tomorrow felt like it was a lifetime away and he wanted to start their journey right that second. He took a deep breath, stilling himself. Pushing her was only going to create a schism between them. He had chosen her because of her iron strength; she needed to know that they would be a team. He forced himself to take a step back.

“Of course,” he murmured. “Tomorrow at noon in front of the train station.”

She nodded, giving him another one of those smiles. “I’ll be there.”

Reaching up, he placed one hand along the side of her face and then leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips. Everything felt like it was falling into place, right where it belonged.

“Until then, my queen.”

He turned and left without another word, confident that he had begun to build his kingdom.


	17. Chapter 17

Aella hopped down the stairs to the war room. “He took the bait,” she called.

Sam and Dean both looked up from what they were doing.

“You’re sure?” Dean asked.

She nodded as she came over to perch on the edge of one of the tables. “Hook, line, and sinker. I think he’s been building himself up to this for a while. There was a really nervous energy surrounding him.” She looked over Sam. “I think you were right about him sending the zombies to take me to him. I think they just got overzealous with the violence.”

“If he had been trying to kill you, I think he would have sent them more than just twice,” Sam said. “And I think they probably would have had orders to kill everyone else as well. But the last time they were here, they went right for you.”

“And I fought them. Fed the rage they were already feeling at being trapped and controlled. Not surprising that they nailed me to a wall. Literally.” She turned her attention to Dean again. “I’m supposed to meet him tomorrow at noon at the train station. He called me his queen.” Aella shuddered. “It sounds like he wants to ride off into the sunset and raise a big zombie army together and take over the world.”

“You think you can play along?” Dean asked.

She thought about it for a moment. “I think I can – at least long enough for us to get some kind of idea about his timetable and attack plans.”

Sam shook his head. “This is a horrible plan.”

“Do you have a better one?” Aella asked. “Feel free to throw it out there.”

“We look for the omens again –“

“Those were a trap, Sammy,” Dean reminded him gently. “Deukalion was the guy in Finland uploading all of that information. He wanted us to come to him so that he could take us out. We need an inside man. Or woman,” he added, gesturing at Aella. “She’ll be able to get us the information that we need and then she’ll get out. We can’t let this piece of shit take over Olympus, man, and you know that.”

“Of course I know that.” Sam shook his head in frustration. “Deukalion has some serious dark magic at his disposal. We don’t know what he’s going to do to her.”

“It’s not like I’m some helpless civilian,” she cut in. “I’m a demigod, too. A daughter of Athena. I’ve got a box full of knives and the talents to back them up. Whatever he’s got planned, we have to take him down, and right now, I’m our best option to do that. Otherwise, the next time we meet him he’s going to be wearing Zeus’ crown. And I REALLY don’t like the idea of fighting him once he becomes some kind of über dark god.”

“Look, Sam, we’ll have the tracker on her, okay. And she’ll get in contact with us whenever she can. But this is our only shot.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Dean looked between his brother and Aella for a moment and then cleared his throat. “I’m gonna let the others know what the plan is. You two, uh…yeah.”

Once the older Winchester was gone, Aella stepped over to Sam, leaning against the table right next to him. “Please don’t be mad at me about this,” she said quietly.

He didn’t look up at her. “This is a bad plan,” he reiterated.

“Maybe,” she conceded. She reached out and touched his face gently, turning it so that he was looking at her. “I’ll come back. I promise.”

“You don’t know that,” he said. “You don’t know what this guy is going to do to you. What if he turns you dark side, Aella? I don’t want to have to put you down!”

“You think this is the first time somebody’s going to try and turn me? I’m a demigod, Sam. Deities, demons, and other things you can’t even image have tried to bring me to their side because of the power and status that I represent. I fought them all, and I won. Deukalion isn’t going to get the better of me. I won’t let him.”

Reaching up, Sam took her hand from his face and held it tightly. “Leave us messages as often as you can.”

“You know that I will.”

“And stay safe, okay? I want you home in one piece.”

“So do I,” she reminded him. “I don’t WANT to do this. I don’t want to go with Deukalion. I don’t want to leave you. All of you,” she hastened to add, ignoring the warmth that flooded her cheeks. “But we do what it takes to get the job done. You and Dean know that better than anyone.”

Sam nodded reluctantly. “I’ll miss you,” he murmured.

The sincerity in his voice made her smile, and Aella leaned forward, kissing the top of his head. “Ditto, Winchester.”


	18. Chapter 18

She knew that Sam and Dean were probably somewhere fairly close, watching her as she walked up to the train station. She knew that if something went wrong right then and there, they would have her back and she would be safe.

But nothing happened. Deukalion pulled up on a sleek black motorcycle, lifting the visor so that she could see that it was him. Forcing herself not to look around so that she didn’t give herself or the boys away, she slung her bag over her shoulder and mounted the bike behind him. With no other choice, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body close to his. She felt more than heard his sharp intake of breath, and then she felt one of his hands press against hers.

They pulled out and left the town in their dust.


	19. Chapter 19

Aella sat in her tent, alone. She considered herself lucky that Deukalion hadn’t expected her to sleep with him right away. His lofty and distended views of his own pre-ordained godhood meant that he held himself to a higher standard than the lowly mortals. He wanted her by his side, but he also wanted to hold off on physical intimacy until he ascended the throne so that the event would be more powerful. Aella knew enough about dark magic that she realized the power for him would be mostly literal. There were plenty of rituals based around sex – most of them were NOT pretty for the power-seeker’s partner.

She shook her head as her brain once again began to fog. She wasn’t sure if it was something Deukalion was doing on purpose, or if it was just a byproduct of all of the magic he was harnessing, but it was definitely starting to mess with her head. Most of the arguments she had to stall him died before they even reached her tongue, and there were some days she moved around in such a haze that she couldn’t always recall her actions.

Despite her pride, she knew how much danger she was in. The magic surrounding Deukalion was invasive and she could feel it curling around inside of her, trying to fill up any space that it could. If she couldn’t find a way to hold it off, she knew there was a very real possibility that she would fall completely under his thrall and then Sam’s doomsday prediction would come true and he would have to put her down like one more evil thing that came across that path.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Thinking of Sam, she reached into her bag and pulled out the shirt she had stolen from him all those months ago. She hadn’t worn it out of fear that Deukalion might smell another man on her and realize that she wasn’t completely devoted to his cause. The warmth and smell of the shirt brought her comfort, though, and reminded her why she was there.

Reaching deeper into the bag, Aella pulled out a small pocketknife that she had carried with her since before the Men of Letters had died out. She had learned early on how to sneak around the bunker, and the knife had been something hidden deep in a box in the basement. She had researched it fully before adding it to her arsenal, though this was the first time she’d had occasion to use it.

Flipping the blade open, she braced herself before cutting herself along the palm of her right hand. The words she whispered as she did so were old – older than almost anything else the bunker held. She doubted that her mother or Crowley even knew of a magic like this one, and she hoped that Deukalion would be none the wiser as well.

As the cut began to tingle and blood flowed freely from her hand, Aella used the knife to cut a long strip of fabric from the bottom of Sam’s shirt. It was a bit awkward using just one hand and her teeth, but eventually she was able to tie the strip tightly around her wound. A few more whispered words and the tingling sensation stopped. She examined her handiwork, pleased when she saw that the wound was not going to bleed all the way through the fabric. Already, the fog in her mind lifted just a bit. It wasn’t much, but she hoped that it would be enough to hold onto a piece of herself as she stayed with Deukalion. Her friends were tracking her, and if things went south and she stopped leaving them messages, she knew that eventually they would make their way to her. The spell she had just cast might give her enough strength to keep from joining Deukalion completely. It might give the others just enough time to save her.

Hearing steps outside of her tent, she quickly stowed the knife and the shirt in the bottom of her bag.

“Aella?” he called. “Will you come out?”

Taking a deep breath, and trying to ignore the pull in his voice, she stood up slowly and exited the tent as though she wanted to. Deukalion stood just outside, his blond hair hanging just above his eyes. Standing this close to him, she could see the beauty and the strength in him that came from being a son of Hera. She felt herself comforted by his presence, even as a faint voice in the back of her head screamed at her to keep her wits about her. The fog threatened to thicken, but she squeezed her wounded hand as hard as she could and struggled to hold onto herself.

Deukalion smiled at her, but the expression changed when he saw the bandage wrapped around her hand.

“You’re hurt?” He reached for her hand. “I can take care of that, Aella. You needn’t remain injured.”

Fighting against her own body, she gave him a smile. “It’s nothing but a cut. And pain reminds us of who we are and what we are here for. How can we achieve victory if we run from it?”

He smiled at her, no longer reaching for her. “Well said, my love. We all have to endure pain if we are to reach out goals. We WILL be victorious, though. And then I can promise you that there will be no more pain for either of us.”

“I look forward to that day.” She tried to ignore just how much her brain longed for a time without pain.

“As do I.” He took a hold of her elbow and led her through the trees. “I have a surprise for you this morning.”

They walked for almost half a mile through the forest, neither saying a thing. Deukalion led, his expression and footing as sure as the sunrise. It took all of Aella’s focus to keep her own footing, as her foggy mind and the spell she had cast warred for control. As they cleared the trees, she almost didn’t realize that Deukalion had stopped. She managed to bring herself up short just before bumping into him, only to find herself staring at the valley in a strange mixture of awe and fear.

“My army,” Deukalion announced, his arm sweeping out in a grand gesture. “OUR army,” he qualified.

Aella just continued to stare.


	20. Chapter 20

Sam looked around the abandoned campsite, kicking over the remnants of a fire pit.

“Something is wrong, Dean. Something is very wrong.”

Every time that Aella and Deukalion moved on from a location, the brothers would come in, looking for some kind of clue or message from Aella. There had been plenty early on, letting them know where they were headed and any plans that Deukalion had shared with her. Lately, though, there hadn’t been any messages. Sam didn’t know if Deukalion was simply around too much for her to get a moment alone, or if something more dangerous was going on. Either way, his stomach twisted painfully at the idea that Aella might not be okay.

“I know,” Dean said quietly. Initially, he had done his best to keep his brother’s spirits up, assuring him that everything was fine. Too much time had passed since Aella’s last message, though, and he could no longer deny that he was worried as well. “We have her current location, but I don’t think we can just go storming in there, man. If this dick is wielding even half of the magic we think he is…”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t see any blood though,” Dean continued. “There’s no body, either. That tells me that she’s still alive, and that’s a good thing. We still got time.”

“Unless he’s brainwashed her.”

“You really think that’s what he’s doing?”

“Think about it, Dean. Dark magic is insidious. It has a tendency to cloud people’s thoughts, to blind them to the truth of what they’re doing. He wants Aella to be his queen, which means he knows her. He knew she was in the bunker. He’s probably been watching her for decades. Maybe even longer.”

“So?”

“So, Aella’s not exactly a pushover,” Sam explained. “She’s strong. She’s independent. The last thing he needs is for her to be questioning his every move. He might even suspect that she might try to work against him. Messing with her head would keep her off of his game and ensure that she’s his completely by the time he goes to war with Olympus. We can’t risk that.”

Dean winced. “Look, Sam…I know that Aella is family, man. I get that. I like her, too. But if she’s gone dark side…we might have to do things we don’t want to.”

“That’s only one of the problems we’ll have if she goes dark, Dean.”

His brother frowned. “What do you mean?”

Sam gave him a heavy look. “Aella is a demigod, same as Deukalion. Look at all of the power he’s unlocked. If she goes dark, and he shares even a little bit of power with her…”

Dean’s eyes widened slowly. “Shit.”

“We have to get to her before that happens.”

Dean swore a few more times for good measure. “Let’s go talk to the others. We need a plan.”


	21. Chapter 21

Deukalion held the phone out to her, watching her face.

“I need you to do this,” he urged, forcing magic through his voice.

Aella clenched her hand around the fabric bandage she still wore, but it didn’t clear her mind enough for her to focus the way that she needed to. She knew that Deukalion was setting a trap for the Winchesters and her mother. She knew that he intended to kill them, to make sure that there was no one left who might claim her allegiance. Doing so would seal her to him completely, and there would be no coming back from that.

Even knowing that, she couldn’t stop her hand from reaching out and taking the phone. She couldn’t stop her fingers from dialing a number that she knew by heart. And she couldn’t stop her mouth from forming the words that Deukalion had given to her. She heard her voice as though it were coming from someone else, begging Sam to come and help her before it was too late.

When the call was finished and disconnected, Aella registered that there was a voice deep inside of her that was screaming in rage and frustration. The small part of her that was still in control of its faculties knew that she was being forced, but there was nothing it could do to break Deukalion’s control of her. The tendrils of dark magic that had infiltrated her when she agreed to go with him had grown into deep roots that had anchored to pieces of her soul. She needed help if she was ever going to free herself from his clutches, but the only people who could save her were walking right into a trap.

Outwardly, Aella followed Deukalion toward the motorcycle that would take them to the location set for the trap, her face expressionless. That voice inside of her, however, continued to scream. Aella was terrified that soon even that would stop.


	22. Chapter 22

That voice in the depths of her soul despaired when she saw her mother and the Winchesters facing them from ten yards away. Either they hadn’t realized that it was a trap, or they had felt that they had no other option but to come for her. In the end, it didn’t matter. Deukalion would kill them and Aella would be his hostage forever.

“Athena!” Deukalion cried out across the distance. “It’s been a long time since last I saw you, but you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Athena’s expression remained cold. “Give me back my daughter, Deukalion, before I smite thee like the cockroach that you are.”

Deukalion clicked his tongue as he wagged a finger at her. “I started this conversation off with politeness. I’d like it noted that it was YOU who made things uncivil.”

“Things aren’t uncivil until I empty this clip up your ass,” Dean growled. “Now let her go.”

Deukalion held his arms up. “As you can see, I’m not holding her. Aella is here on her own. She agreed to come with me, and she has chosen to stay with me day after day.” He turned to look at her. “Isn’t that right, my love?”

She answered in the affirmative before she’d even realized that her mouth was opening.

“Don’t you get it?” Deukalion asked. “She was never yours. She’s been playing you since the beginning, waiting for her chance to get her vengeance. To strike out against the mother that abandoned her and the descendants of the men who imprisoned her. You are nothing to her now.”

An unnatural anger swept through Aella at his words. Her mother HAD abandoned her. How could the Men of Letters have come up with a spell that the goddess of wisdom and war couldn’t overcome? No matter what she said, Athena had left her daughter to rot in some underground bunker for her perceived sins.

And what of Sam and Dean? They may have been hunters, but they were descended from the men who had imprisoned her. Were they really that different? They hadn’t wanted her to leave the bunker either, even after she had gained her freedom from that spell. They were just like Peter, wanting to keep her ensnared so that she could be used toward their own ends.

She could feel Deukalion’s gaze on her. He spoke to her, and it was like his voice was inside of her, reaching to every part of her. Every part except for the voice locked away somewhere deep and small. His voice pounded on that door with a violence that scared her, and it shook under the weight of his magic.

He told her what to do.

Aella hadn’t even realized that she was holding the bow, or that a quiver had been slung across her back. As she reached for an arrow and nocked it, her eyes stayed locked on Athena. The woman who had left her. The woman who had punished her.

Sam stepped in front of Athena, putting his body between them, hands outstretched.

She heard his voice as though it were coming from miles away. It was familiar to her and she tried to focus on it, but the roar of another man’s voice was like a raging wind that swept through her and filled every crevice. Its anger flooded through her bones and ran blazing lightning through her muscles. It told her her to kill. It told her to kill now. She pulled the bowstring until it was taut, her right hand hovering back close to her ear. 

A piece of blue fabric danced along the edge of her vision.

She heard his voice, and this time she could make out her name. He called to her as though he knew her. He called to her as though he knew more than just her name and her story. He called to her as though he knew her devils and her deeds. He called to her like he knew the very depths of her soul, except that she couldn’t remember every sharing that with anyone. 

Blue fabric caressed the side of her face and she breathed in something warm and achingly familiar. 

She heard his voice and knew that he was there. Her vision travelled past the end of her arrow, leaving the weapon a blur as she focused on something further in the distance. She could see him. She could see his mouth move as his lips formed her name. From somewhere behind her, she heard another voice and it tried to wrap around her limbs, but it couldn’t keep find its purchase. Without that voice to hold them up, her arms slowly lowered and her hands lost their grip, dropping the bow to the ground. 

The fingers of her right hand folded inward, clutching at blue fabric that was ragged and worn.

She heard his voice, and this time the memories fought their way back in. She could remember the way that he looked at her as they sat in a room full of books. She could remember the weight and the heat of his body as he sat next to her on the couch, watching movies or debating the finer points of history and lore. She could remember the warmth of his hand as it settled on her shoulder. She could remember the safety of his arms.

Her hand shook with the tightness of her clenched fist, blue fabric rubbing across the palm of her hand. 

She heard his voice and she took a step forward. It hurt, as though there were tangled barbed wire somewhere inside of her, trying to hold her back. But she heard his voice and she took another step. That other voice, the one filled with so much rage, reached out for her one last time, but her sole focus had become each passing step. She didn’t want that rage. She wanted his voice. She wanted it as close to her as it could possibly get, and she didn't ever want to suffer days without hearing it again. 

She took one last step and she remembered.

“Sam,” she breathed. 

She collapsed and he was there, gathering her to him as he curled himself around her. His arms locked around her and the angry voice disappeared, leaving her with a rush of memories and emotions that threatened to pull her under.

“Sam,” she cried, surprised by the tears that were running down her face.

He just tightened his hold and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”


	23. Chapter 23

Sam hadn’t let go of her since she had collapsed in his arms. She was covered in small cuts, making it look as though she had been thrown through a window. Her breathing was shallow and she wasn’t responding to him. As he carried her down into the bunker and to her room, he had to swallow down panic that maybe they had been too late to save her.

Dean watched his brother out of the corner of his eye, worry settling across his chest like a weight. After it was obvious that he had lost his companion, Deukalion had fled the field, shrieking and howling in rage. Dean had tried to follow him, but the bastard had opened some kind of portal and just fucking DISAPPEARED. He hated that once again he had failed to just put a bullet in the guy’s head, but the fact of the matter was that Aella needed help sooner rather than later. They would just have to catch Deukalion later.

Once they go to her room, Sam laid Aella gently on the bed, holding one of her hands in both of his. He looked toward the foot of the bed where Athena stood, tears in his eyes.

“You have to help her. Please –“

Athena held up a hand and her eyes turned a milky white. There was silence for a minute, but her expression seemed to suggest that she was having a conversation. Finally, her eyes returned to their normal shade.

“He is coming.”

Dean frowned. “Who?”

A part of him expected Crowley to stroll into the room, but instead he was faced with a man that looked like some kind of Mexican Viking. His skin was darker, and the muscle he was packing could easily have rivaled Thor. His black hair was long and thick, held back in a simple braid.

Athena breathed a sigh of relief. “Asclepius.”

The man stepped forward, taking a hold of Athena’s outstretched hands and kissing her on the cheek. “Auntie,” he greeted. “Where is she?”

Athena pointed to Aella stretched out on the bed. Asclepius moved to the side across from Sam, one hand reaching out to rest on her forehead for a minute.

“Tell me what happened,” he said quietly.

The boys let Athena tell the story. The others had gathered by then, and Dean glanced over to Cas when the former angel came to stand beside him. They stood just close enough that their shoulders brushed, and Dean found himself taking immense comfort from his friend’s presence. For his part, Cas wanted to say something encouraging to Dean, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Everyone was completely focused on Aella and Sam. The younger Winchester clutched at her hand like she were a lifeline, or maybe as though he could keep her alive just by holding onto her. These were the times that Cas most missed being an angel. He could have helped Aella and brought Sam comfort. Instead, he was relegated to the sidelines.

Once Athena had finished telling her nephew what had transpired, the god of medicine once again looked down at Aella.

“She shouldn’t have been able to break that spell,” he muttered. “Those magics are dark and deep, and there’s usually no coming back.” His eyes moved down her body. “Why were you able to fight him, dear cousin? What gave you that strength?”

His eyes finally settled on the bloody scrap of cloth that was tied around her hand. Reaching down, he turned her palm up and rested a finger against the homemade bandage and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a smile on his face.

“You have a very smart daughter, Auntie. She invoked the goddess Sigyn.”

Dean frowned. “Sigyn? Isn’t she a Norse god?”

Asclepius nodded. “Loki’s wife. She lends special help to those who wish to remain loyal or faithful during a difficult time. Aella cut her hand with an old Norse blade and invoked the goddess. Her plea must have been very powerful for Sigyn to answer her in such a way.”

Cas cocked his head to the side. “Sam…isn’t that your shirt?”

He pointed to the bandage on Aella’s palm, and Sam’s eyes slowly widened. While still keeping a hold of the hand in his grasp, he reached out to touch the scrap of fabric.

“It is,” he whispered. “She must have sliced a piece off.”

Asclepius nodded. “She must have quite an attachment to that shirt – and to you. Sigyn doesn’t offer her help to just anyone.”

“So what does that mean?” Dean asked.

The god smiled at him. “It means that we can save her. But I’m going to need all of you to step out. Except you, of course,” he said to Sam. “It was her loyalty to you that kept a piece of her sane. It will be your loyalty to her that heals her from the stain Deukalion placed upon her soul.”

“So why do we need to leave?” Dean asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Asclepius sighed. “Because it’s an old and boring ritual that I have to perform. You can ask Athena – it’s safe. I just do my best work without a large audience.”

Athena nodded and began to herd the others out into the hall. For a moment, it looked like Dean was going to put up a fight, but then Cas reached out and took a hold of his arm, leading him toward the door. Athena followed until every last one of them had left the room, and then she shut the door firmly behind her.

“I know that you’re worried. And I know that you don’t like leaving Sam with people that you don’t know or trust. But Asclepius is one of the good guys. He’s Aella’s cousin. He used to play with her when she was small and he has always had a soft spot for her. If it’s possible, he’ll restore her to full health. I promise.”

Dean pointed at the spot he stood on. “All the same, I’m gonna wait right here.”

Athena nodded. “That is your choice.” She looked around at the others. “Is anyone else hungry? I’ve always been a nervous eater.”

As the others wandered off toward the kitchen, Cas remained by Dean’s side, his hand still on the hunter’s arm.

“I will stay with you, Dean. If that’s okay with you.”

Dean tried and failed to ignore the warm feeling that spread across his chest. Instead, he just leaned back against the wall and gave the other man a grateful smile.

“I’d like that, Cas.”


	24. Chapter 24

It was a couple of days before Aella felt strong enough to leave her room. Asclepius had been able to undo the staining of her soul, but it had still been an exhausting process. On top of that, Aella found herself plagued by nightmares of pointing her arrow at Sam. Despite the fact that she knew he was alright, she was still forced to watch herself let the arrow fly every time she closed her eyes and bury itself deep inside of his chest. 

It was enough to make her sick. 

The others had taken turns checking in on her after the first time she regained consciousness. Her mother and Asclepius had left soon after to give the rest of Olympus a warning about the size and strength of Deukalion’s army. Aella wished she could have more time with her mother, but she understood the need for her to take care of her home. If the gods couldn’t come up with something, they were going to find themselves slaughtered.

Exhaustion and nightmares weren’t the only reason that Aella stayed in her room for so long. Though the others assured her that Sam came to check on her frequently, he must have only done it when she slept. She felt as though ages had passed since the last time she had truly seen him or spoken with him, and it was like a punch to the gut how much she missed him. 

When she did finally emerge, she found him in the war room alone, hunched over his computer. She padded across the room silently on bare feet, wrapped in the remnants of his shirt and a pair of shorts. 

“Hey, stranger,” she said softly.

He looked up at the sound of her voice, and for a moment he just stared at her. Then he gave her a small smile and she saw something in his shoulders relax. 

“Hey,” he replied in the same tone. “How are you feeling?”

Aella gave a half shrug. “I feel like I was hit by the equivalent of an emotional mack truck, but I’m standing. So I’m gonna take that as a win.”

He nodded, letting out a small laugh. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

A moment of silence stretched between them, and Aella shifted her weight from foot to foot. She had never been very good at subtlety, and those finer interaction skills had seriously rusted while she was alone in the bunker. She figured that she could try to skirt around the issue, but in the end, she didn’t think that it would do either of them any good. 

“You’re angry with me.”

She didn’t make it a question because she wasn’t sure she could bear to hear him answer it. But Sam was shaking his head and sitting up.

“No, of course not. Why would I be?”

“Because you didn’t want me to go with Deukalion and I went anyway. Because you were worried that I would go dark side and I almost did. Sam, I almost put an arrow through your heart. You’re allowed to be upset with me.”

He was shaking his head again and reaching out for one of her hands. “I’m not angry,” he assured her. “Yeah, of course I wish you hadn’t gone with him. And no, I’m not sure that the information you got was worth the risk. I’m just happy to have you home again. I’m relieved that you’re in one piece and that Asclepius was able to heal you. We were SO close to losing you, Aella.”

She squeezed his hand and stepped closer. “Then why are you avoiding me?” she asked. “I haven’t seen you since that first time I woke up.”

Sam looked away for a moment and laughed again before shrugging his shoulders like it was foolish to keep hiding. “I thought that maybe if I kept my distance, I could keep you from finding out that I’m in love with you.”

Aella frowned and closed the distance between them, gingerly sitting down on his lap. “Why would you want to keep that from me?” she asked, brushing his long hair back.

He looked at her for a long moment, and she thought she could see the moment when he decided to just be upfront with her about what was on his mind.

“Deukalion pointed out that it was the Men of Letters that imprisoned you. I know we’re not technically a part of them, but we are descended from one of them. We live in their home and we use their stuff. Do you…do you ever find it difficult to separate us from them?”

She shook her head. “Not really. You and Dean are good men, Sam. And though sometimes you’ve had to make sacrifices in order to save the day, they’ve always been sacrifices that you’ve felt. Deeply. The ramifications of every choice that the two of you have made stay with you. The Men of Letters that I knew were not like that. They made decisions in a vacuum. Everything was about knowledge and furthering their cause, and they never let themselves be affected by the plight of another person. They never agonized over a decision because most things were purely academic to them. All of this knowledge that they amassed, and they never did a goddamn thing with it. You and Dean are nothing like them. You’re better. You’re so much better than you could ever believe.”

He smiled at her words, one arm coming up to wrap around her waist. “So we’re okay?”

Aella tipped forward and pressed her forehead to his. “We’re okay.” Reaching up, she caressed his face. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered. 

Instead of answering her, Sam surged up and kissed her fiercely. Aella took a sharp breath through her nose at the sensation even as she held his face firmly between her hands. It had been so long since she’d been touched like this, but her body lit up as that part of her memory reawakened itself. She kissed Sam back with everything that she had, nipping at his bottom lip and sliding her tongue along his own. He let out a throaty groan that matched her own and he pulled her closer, wrapping both of his arms all the way around her. 

It was easy to get lost in the sensations, and Aella let them carry her forward. Before she knew it, Sam was standing up, easily lifting her along the way and setting her back down so that she was seated on the table. Aella grabbed a handful of his shirt, dragging him closer as their kisses grew deeper and more hungry. His hands slid down to her hips and then around, pressing their bodies together. The table shook suddenly as Sam climbed up, pushing her back until he was laying over her completely.

Aella was relieved to discover the table held.


	25. Chapter 25

Athena returned to them less than a week later on the tails of a lightning bolt. Dean and Charlie watched in awe as the goddess strode through the rain, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was soaked to the bone. A cut ran along the side of her face, and her daggers were drawn. Despite the fact that she was the mother of one of their friends, Dean automatically stepped between the raging goddess and Charlie.

“I must speak to my daughter. Now.”

Dean nodded, letting his gaze drop to the knives. “You look just about ready to kill something. Or someone.”

Athena frowned and then followed his eyes. Her grip on the blades loosened slightly, and she rolled her shoulders. “I almost didn’t make it through,” she said quietly. “And I had no way of knowing what would be here when I opened the portal.”

“Almost didn’t make it through what?” Charlie asked, pushing Dean to the side a little.

She sagged a little. “The army.”

Neither of them knew what to say to that; instead, they turned and led Athena through the bunker. Charlie ran on ahead to gather the others, and it was only a few more minutes until they were all gathered in the war room. Aella came in holding hands with Sam, but at the sight of her mother, she rushed forward.

“Mother!”

The two women embraced; even though Athena held her daughter tightly, though, she still cut the contact short. 

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. 

Aella frowned. “For what?”

“For coming to you like this. For asking for your help.” Athena gestured uselessly. “I have nowhere else to turn, Aella.”

Aella reached up, running a gentle finger along the line of the cut on Athena’s face. “He’s attached Olympus, hasn’t he?”

Athena shook her head. “Not yet. But the army is closing in, and he’s cut off our escape.”

“How?” Dean asked. “I just watched you climb out of a damn portal!”

“Usually the gods can move however they want,” Athena explained. “Especially from Olympus. We just decide where we want to go, and we’re there. But Deukalion has gotten close enough to put a magical ward across our home. None of us can go anywhere.” She paused. “I had to fight my way through one of the lines to get outside of his net. Only then could I move freely.”

“So the gods are preparing to fight?” Kevin asked. “That sounds like it might be epically bad for the human race.”

Athena nodded. “We’re going to war. There’s no way around that. If, by some miracle, we win quickly, the world may not notice much more than strange weather patterns. If the battle is prolonged, eventually it will spill out in ways no one could predict, as each god calls on the things that make them strong. And if Deukalion wins…”

“Then Olympus has a new king,” Sam concluded. “And he doesn’t seem like the type that would be happy with just ruling one place when he has an army that could take it all for him.”

“Not to mention the imbalance it would cause,” Athena added. “He has completely filled himself with dark magic. Old magic that hasn’t been seen in millennia. The world is meant to have a balance between the light and the dark. He would throw everything into chaos.” She looked at Dean. “You think that you’re busy hunting now? You’ll be overrun in less than a month.”

Aella reached out and squeezed her mother’s hands. “What do you need?” she asked quietly.

Freeing one of her hands, Athena brushed back her daughter’s hair sorrowfully. “We need fighters,” she replied, her tone just as quiet. “I don’t know how one more person will make a difference, but we cannot just let Olympus fall. We have to fight with everything that we have.” She paused, as though steeling herself for an answer she didn’t yet have. “Will you join us? Will you stand by my side and fight?”

Aella was quiet for a moment. “Please forgive me,” she croaked out.

Athena’s expression fell, but she nodded. “I understand, my darling. I know that you have a life here -“

Aella shook her head. “I wasn’t talking to you, Mother.” She turned to look at Sam. “I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes full of tears. “But I can’t stay on the sidelines while my mother fights for her life and the fate of the world. I won’t do it.”

Sam swallowed roughly, his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” he said, his voice cracked around the edges. “You know I’m coming too, right?”

She shook her head again. “You don’t have to.”

“I can’t sit on the sidelines any more than you can.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Dean took a deep breath and threw his hands up in the air. “Guess that means I’m in, too.” When Sam looked at him sharply, Dean rolled his eyes. “C’mon, dude. When have I ever let you fight a battle by yourself. You go, I go. End of story.”

“I lack my angelic powers, but I will fight as well. For whatever it’s worth,” Cas added. 

Jodi wrapped an arm around Bobby and looked at him. “What do you say, old man? A fight for Olympus ain’t a bad way to go.”

“I certainly can’t let those two idjits go alone,” Bobby replied. “With their luck, they’d accidentally burn the place to the ground.”

Linda crossed her arms over her chest. “I think it’s safe to say we’re all in.”

Charlie nodded. “I think at this point we’re kind of like a package deal.”

Athena looked at each one of them, her expression full of relief and awe. “You would really all do this?” she asked quietly. “You would fight a battle that isn’t yours?”

Dean shrugged. “Technically, none of them are our battles. We could sit ‘em all out. We choose not to.”

Athena shook her head in disbelief. “I have to say, Aella…you certainly picked a much more deserving lot this time.”

Aella looked over at Sam and smiled. “Yeah. I think I’ll keep ‘em.” She turned back to her mother. “So do you have a plan?”

The goddess nodded. “I think I do.”


	26. Chapter 26

Aella leaned against the doorway leading into Dean’s room, watching as the hunter filled his bag with every weapon he could fit. They knew that burning the bodies was the only way to keep the zombies from getting back up again, which explained why she saw him put a flamethrower inside. She knew that Sam and the others were putting together explosives that they could easily throw, and she thought she even heard Bobby say something about a rocket launcher. She wasn’t sure that it would be enough, but they were at least going to bring their full arsenal.

“So tonight might be our last night alive,” she said without preamble.

Dean looked over his shoulder at her. “Shouldn’t you be using that line on Sammy?”

She shook her head. “No. We just had our “oh my god, we might die” quickie. But right now we need to talk about you.”

“Thanks, but uh…I don’t sleep with Sammy’s girls. Not my style.”

Aella rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “There’s something important that you need to know before we go into this fight, Dean.”

Something in her tone made him stop packing and turn around. “Okay,” he said slowly. “What is it that I need to know?”

“Why Cas accepted God’s offer of mortality.”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest, the line of his shoulders tight. “He was tired of fighting for a bunch of dicks that didn’t give a damn about him. I certainly don’t blame him for that. Besides, God didn’t exactly give him a choice. He just bestowed humanity on him.”

“That’s not exactly how it happened.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked, his voice rising. “And how the hell would you know that?” 

“Because I was watching. Remember, Dean - I’ve been here the entire time that you have. And nobody knows this bunker better than I do. I didn’t know what to make of all of you at first, and so I watched. And I was there when God spoke with Cas. He didn’t BESTOW humanity on him. He said that Cas had fought long and hard, and that he deserved a reward. He offered to make Cas a full-fledged angel again.”

Dean went very still. “What?”

“After everything that Cas had sacrificed - for heaven, for you - God thought his son deserved a promotion of sorts. Cas declined, and asked for humanity, instead.”

Dean shook his head in disbelief. “Why would he do that?”

“Funny thing - God asked the exact same question. And do you know what Cas said?”

Dean shook his head.

“That the very thought of watching you grow old and die, all the while knowing that he had an eternity to face without you, made him sick to his stomach. Despite all of the pain of being human, and the inconveniences of needing to sleep and urinate, it was all worth it because of the relationships he had formed. So he asked his father for the one thing he wanted most. Humanity - and a life spent with you.”

Eyes wide, Dean just continued to stare at her. Aella gave him a sympathetic smile. “The man gave up eternity for you, Dean. Don’t you think you can swallow your fears for him?”

He reared back slightly as though her words had physically struck him, and he looked around the room wildly, his chest heaving as the weight of her words settled down on him.

And then Aella was stepping out of the way as he bolted toward Cas’ room.


	27. Chapter 27

They met once again in the war room, and Aella noticed that this time it was Dean and Cas walking in with their fingers tangled. Dean looked nervous, but happy, and Cas’ hair had been unmistakably mussed. Aella caught sight of Sam’s widened eyes, but when Dean looked at his brother, he surprise melted into a big smile. That seemed to remove any anxiety Dean was feeling about the whole thing, and he tightened his grip on Cas’ hand.

“Before we head out there, I have something for everybody,” Aella said.

She opened up a beautifully carved wooden box from where it sat on the table. Inside, there were nine silver bracelets. Each one was slightly different from the others, with an intricate mix of artwork and ancient lettering etched into them. Charlie stepped forward to get a better look, and she let out a low whistle.

“They’re beautiful,” she said. “And they’re for us?”

Aella nodded as she pulled out the first one. “The markings are from the language that was originally spoken when the current gods came into being. Technically, my mother’s maiden tongue. I’ve enhanced them a little bit. With each of us wearing one, we’ll be able to combine our strength. Basically, if one of us gets hurt, the strength that the rest of us have will help shore them up. They’ll also provide us with a little added protection, and help us be more aware of where each of us is on the battlefield.”

Bobby’s eyebrows shot up. “I think that’s more than just a few enhancements, Aella. You sure all that magic is safe?”

“Don’t worry - I didn’t put anything volatile in them.”

“Might be a good thing if you did,” Jodi mumbled. “Quite frankly, I’m willing to take any help I can get right about now.” She stepped forward and held out her wrist. 

Aella gave her a grateful smile and then did up the clasp so that the bracelet ringed Jodi’s left wrist. She could feel small vibrations coming from the jewelry, but she knew that was just the magic she had infused them with. Deukalion was going to throw all of the dark magic he had at them - it was only fair that they gear up with as much light magic as possible.

They could hear the rain pounding on the roof of the bunker with the occasional roll of thunder as she put a bracelet on each one of her friends. A kind of calm had settled over them as they went through the ritual, and by the time Sam had clasped the last bracelet onto Aella’s wrist, everyone seemed more focused and prepared for the fight ahead.

Aella squeezed Sam’s hand and then nodded to the rest of them. “Let’s go save Olympus,” she said.


	28. Chapter 28

They came in behind Deukalion’s army, their approach masked by a loud clap of thunder. They used the storm as camouflage, spreading out in a line, each of them armed to the teeth with weapons of fire and death. Their goal was simple, even if it was nearly impossible. They wanted to break through the ranks of Deukalion’s army and split them, causing a distraction. The chaos would hopefully bring the would-be king out, and then the only goal was to take him or his staff down. It didn’t matter what it took - killing Deukalion was the key to surviving this fight. Otherwise, the numbers were just stacked too highly against them. 

The vibrations in her bracelet hadn’t stopped, and Aella noticed that they seemed to be getting stronger. She wondered if the power of the storm was feeding into them; if it was, she hoped the extra burst would work in their favor instead of blowing up in their faces. 

Somehow - no one was sure exactly how - Bobby had managed to procure himself a rocket launcher. Setting the weapon on one shoulder, he took aim at a big block of zombies and counted to three. Then the launcher belched fire and knocked Bobby on his ass as the rocket crashed into the mass of bodies and exploded. 

The effect was almost mesmerizing. Body parts flew up and out until they were raining down on everyone in the vicinity. Fire raged even with the rain coming down, and it was obvious that there were numerous burned bodies that wouldn’t be getting up any time soon, if ever again. 

That first shot was their signal, and the rest of them moved in with their own weapons. Cas and Charlie wore tanks on their back with hoses attached, and they shot fire in every direction, taking down more zombies than they could count. Linda and Kevin were armed with flamethrowers, while Sam and Dean threw molotov cocktails at any undead thing they could reach.

For her part, Aella moved through the enemy army, cutting down anything that got in her way. She scanned the battlefield, waiting for Deukalion to make his move. There was no way he could stand such an upset to his perfectly executed plan. He would have to answer the challenge, and she wanted to be there to cut him down when he did. 

The battlefield was a chaotic mess, though, and she soon found herself trapped in a group of zombies that required her full attention to take down because of their sheer number. Her knives dripped with blood and her arms ached, but she fought as though the world depended on it, mostly because it did. If she weakened or gave them an opening, there was every chance that the army would overrun her and it would be over. That couldn’t happen. 

Once she fought her way clear through the immediate danger, Aella looked up and realized that she had made it through to the other side. She could see Olympus - something that had been a distant memory to her for so many years - and the gods as they fought like hell to defend it. Zeus called down lightning, sending it directly into the zombies that they faced. Apollo and Athena fought side by side, killing and burning as they went, their faces drawn as exhaustion started to creep in. So far, Aella couldn’t see any gods that were down for the count, but every one of them looked as though the fight was taking everything that they had. She didn’t know how much longer they’d be able to hold off the assault. 

She didn’t catch sight of Deukalion until he was almost on top of Sam. There was a terrifying gleam in his eye as he strode toward the hunter, and she knew that there was no way Sam was going to be able to fight him off. The dark magic that he had immersed himself in surrounded Deukalion now in a green fog, and Aella thought that she could almost see the heads of snakes and other beasts as they tried to reach out and bite anything they could.

She couldn’t get to Sam in time. There was too much ground and too many zombies between them for her to even have a prayer. No one else was close enough, either, though out of the corner of her eye she could seen Dean realizing the same exact thing. Despite the futility of it, he was surging through the army, screaming his brother’s name.  
 Deukalion raised his staff and Aella fell to her knees, screaming out her pain and frustration as her hands slammed into the soft earth. She was so lost to her own emotions that she failed to notice the way that the ground shook, but there was no way she could miss the streaks of fire that began falling from the sky, interspersed with bright and powerful lightning. They struck the army again and again, setting fire to entire swaths of them. 

And then one hit Aella.

She thought that she was dead, but instead of hitting her directly, the lightning touched on her bracelet. The vibrations she had felt since putting it on grew stronger and seemed to suddenly burst into song inside of her head. There were voices and a light and an unbelievable power that surged through her.

And it wasn’t just her. 

She watched in awe as the same bolt of lightning moved from her, to Dean, to Cas, to Jodi, to Bobby, to Charlie, to Linda, to Kevin, and finally to Sam. They all stood up straighter as they felt the surge go through their bodies, and Sam got hit just before Deukalion strike made its way home.

Sam turned and caught the staff in his hands.

The angry green fog reached out, trying to devour him whole. Green lines ran up his skin as though they were racing for his heart, but as Sam continued to hold the staff, the lines turned blue and reversed themselves. Their color grew stronger and brighter and they traveled back down Sam’s arm, and when they hit the staff, it exploded. 

Deukalion screamed as shards of wood flew everywhere. Before he could regroup, though, the beasts in the fog suddenly turned from Sam and focused themselves solely on the demigod. He started to scream again, this time in abject terror, but the beasts ignored him and leapt in, their foggy mouths taking chunks out of Deukalion. They drove him to the ground and he was buried beneath them, though his screams could still be heard.

The staff broken and their leader gone, the magic holding the zombies lost its hold. Slowly at first, and then all at once, the unnatural life that had been thrust into them just left. Aella could feel the raw power of the spirits as they departed, and the bodies fell to the ground in a useless heap. 

For a long time, everyone just stared. The only sounds to be heard were their heavy breathing and the continued rain, though that had started to lessen and the thunder had begun to ease. Aella crossed over to Sam, who was still staring at where Deukalion had disappeared. Cautiously, not wanting to startle him, she slipped her hand into his.

“Is that it?” Cas asked. His hair dripped into his face and he had a long cut along one forearm. “Did we win?”

Jodi nodded. “It certainly looks that way.” She turned to Aella. “What the hell was THAT, by the way? You made the ground shake and called down lightning. Was that a demigod thing?”

“And why didn’t it hurt us when it hit us?” Kevin asked, feeling himself for burns. “Shouldn’t we be dead too?”

Zeus and Athena stepped forward then.

“The lightning didn’t hit you,” Zeus explained. “It hit the bracelets. May I see?”

Aella held up her wrist so that the king of the gods could inspect it. His eyes widened the longer that he looked at it, and when he finally brought his gaze back up to hers, his face was filled with wonder.

“Where did you get these?” he asked, his voice hushed.

She shrugged uncomfortably. “The Men of Letters had them stashed away in the basement. I recognized the writing and figured we could use some extra help out here. So I enchanted them with a few extras.”

“You did more than that, my child. You bound this group together with eternal bonds. The kind that can’t be broken.”

“She what now?” Dean asked.

“These bracelets are ancient,” Athena told them. “And the writings on them are tied to the deepest magic we know.”

“More dark magic?” Kevin asked in disbelief.

Athena shook her head. “Deep magic, but not dark. In fact, the lightest of magics.” She looked around at each of them. “You remember when I explained to you that things move in cycles, and that our time in Olympus was fading?”

They all nodded.

“It seems this final battle marks the end of our reign.”

“But we won,” Charlie pointed out. “You guys are still alive and Olympus is still yours.”

Athena smiled at her. “You’re only half right.”

“When Aella called down that lightning and it struck each one of you, the true magic locked within these bracelets was unleashed. It bound you together,” Zeus explained. “The way that we were all bound together when our reign began.”

There was silence for a minute as everyone struggled to take that it in. Cas finally cocked his head to the side.

“Are you suggesting that we’re gods now?”

“Do you know what the gods truly are?” Athena asked. “They are the protectors of mankind. They’re not supposed to rule so much as they are supposed to defend and take care of the world. Something that each and every one of you is already intimately familiar with.”

“So…what?” Dean asked. “You’re telling us we have to move to Olympus and start wearing togas?”

Zeus gave him a flat look that actually made the hunter take half a step back. “Do you see any togas here, young man?”

Athena laughed. “Olympus is where you make it. You have power now - more than you could have ever imagined. And you have immortality. It make take a while, but you’ll rediscover yourselves and you’ll figure out the best way to go about taking care of this world.” She turned to look at the rest of the old gods. “And now it’s time for us to start the new chapter of our lives as well.” She glanced over at Zeus. “You game, old man?”

The former king of the gods sighed as his eyes sought out his wife across the battlefield. She stood there, bruised and alone as she stared at the spot where her son had disappeared. 

“I don’t know if she’ll ever get past this,” he murmured. 

Athena reached out and squeezed his arm sympathetically. Then she stepped forward and embraced her daughter. They stayed like that for a long time, long after the other gods had begun going their separate ways. When Athena pulled back. she pressed a kiss to Aella’s forehead and brushed her hair away from her face. 

“Don’t tell me I have to lose you again,” Aella whispered, tears falling from her eyes. “I just found you again.”

Athena shook her head. “Don’t worry, my darling. I’ll still be around. And I’ll make sure to check in on you and your hunter as often as I can.” She looked Sam up and down and then winked at her daughter. “He is MUCH better than Peter, by the way.”

Aella laughed at that. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“I see you managed to help the angel and the other hunter get their act together as well. Well done, Aella.”

“That was actually much easier than I expected.”

Athena turned to address the entire group. “Be patient with yourselves, and with each other. You’re ushering in a new age, and that can be a good thing even as it terrifies you. Don’t think of yourselves as gods. Just learn to use your new powers to do a better job of the things you’re already doing. You’ll get used to it. And don’t think you have to go out and build your own Olympus - you already have one in that bunker of yours. Times have changed, after all. We can’t all have glorious mountaintops that mortals fear to ascend.” 

She smirked at them, and then blew her daughter one last kiss, and then she was gone. 

“I think I’m still confused about what just happened,” Charlie said, finally breaking the silence.

Cas frowned. “I was an angel, and then a human, and now I appear to be a god. That did not go so well for me the last time.”

Dean slung an arm around his shoulders. “I’ll keep an eye on you. You won’t go dark side this time.”

“Do you promise?” Cas asked earnestly.

Dean smiled and kissed him slowly. “Promise.”

“And what about you?” Aella asked as she came up to Sam. “How do you feel about godhood?”

He smiled and took her hand in his. “I think I’m okay with it.”

“Really?”

“Well, I figure things could be way worse.”

Aella laughed. “That’s a valid point.”

“I’m also really amused by the idea of Bobby and Kevin as gods. I can’t wait until stories start popping up about them on the internet.”

“I can’t be a god!” Kevin exclaimed. “I never got to finish college!”

They all laughed at that and started to turn home.


End file.
